Learning Activism: My Secular Student Alliance Internship 2009

by Samantha Snyder

Sami Snyder, Fall 2009 Secular Student Alliance intern

It's in a dungeon. That was my first thought as I timidly made my way through the basement of an office building, searching for the headquarters of the Secular Student Alliance. I knew I was in the right place when I saw the dry erase board with a picture of the Flying Spaghetti Monster saying "Howdy!" I was just starting my internship at the Secular Student Alliance for the 2009 Autumn quarter. It was to be a very unique experience: I met a lot of new people, felt like I made a difference helping nontheistic student groups, learned excellent professional skills, and tasted just how amazing Graeter's ice cream is.

Most of my tasks involved updating the Secular Student Alliance website. Some of the projects I helped with included updating affiliates' information, editing and creating pages for speakers and groups, and contacting groups about events happening in their areas. Perhaps my favorite task was editing the Facebook page for the Secular Student Alliance. I added and organized photos, installed useful applications, synched events to the Secular Student Alliance Google Calendar, and many of the same things people love to do on their own Facebook pages. Upkeep on the Internet resources is extremely important. It's the fastest way to acquire information and its networking ability is unsurpassable.

This internship was important to me because students are the next generation in the nontheistic movement, and we have a lot of untapped resources. Many young adult skeptics out there don't even know that groups and organizations such as the Secular Student Alliance exist. During my internship, I learned about outreach techniques and how to keeping a group alive and active. After my internship, my main goal as a student is to let other nontheists know they aren't alone. The Secular Student Alliance gave me the skills and information to help me achieve my goal.

Working with the Secular Student Alliance is definitely an ideal internship for a nontheistic student activist. Not only does the Secular Student Alliance lend its own support, it also provides information about many other organizations that are more than willing to help out student groups. The people I met and the friends I made are absolutely priceless. The experiences I take away from these three months have made me a better leader and community member.