Citizen Advocacy Center-Internships/Volunteers

LEAD THE WAY – MAKE THE LEGAL PATHS – JOIN US ON THE FRONTIER
: pi• o• neer [pi´ e-nî r´ ] N. 1. One who goes into un-known or unclaimed territory to settle. 2. One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development. Adj. 1. Of or characteristic of early settlers. 2. Leading the way; trailblazing. v. -neered, -neer· ing, -neers. -tr. 1.a. To open up [an area] or prepare [a way]. b. To settle [a region]. 2. To initiate or participate in the development of. -intr. To act as a pioneerà.
The Citizen Advocacy Center, a community legal organization in the western suburbs of Chicago, is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers. The Center is designed to strengthen the voice of citizens and their civic skills and to make government more accountable to the people. In short, the Center promotes citizen advocacy at the grassroots level, the key to a healthy democracy. we educate citizens about the tools they can use (freedom of information laws, referendum, initiative, access to the airwaves and electronic networks), as well as their rights as citizens, shareholders, workers, and consumers; we initiate actions which stimulate citizen awareness and involvement; we help citizens act on issues of public significance by guiding them through the maze of laws and red tape; we monitor local government to ensure accountability and to deter officials from acting contrary to the general interests of the community; and we litigate on behalf of citizens to sustain access to justice.

Citizen Advocacy Center Volunteers
The Center could not sustain its high quality work without the help of volunteers. Hundreds of volunteers donate their time, resources, equipment and money to the Center. The face of a Center volunteer is anyone who wants to make a difference in their community and believes in the mission of the Center, building democracy for the 21st Century. People of all ages donate their time. Center volunteers do everything from helping us send out bulk mailing to maintaining our filing system to researching current projects. The Citizen Advocacy Center is tremendously grateful to those who take the time to volunteer.
Below are a few examples of volunteer projects.

Stuff fliers and compile quarterly newsletters.
Maintain Center website
Monitor local government by attending city council, county and school board meetings
Help research citizen intake questions
Participate in ongoing Center projects
Fundraise and plan special events.