Rideau Institute

The Rideau Institute provides opportunities for young people and students who want to gain hands-on experience in a non-governmental organization with a focus on disarmament, human rights, and social justice.

At all times, the Rideau Institute has unpaid positions for several volunteers and interns from accredited institutions. The Institute blends research and analysis with media and Internet communications techniques as it advances its policy agenda for Canada.

Officially, the Rideau Institute is a non-partisan, independent research, advocacy and consulting group in Ottawa. Unofficially, it is known as one of the most active and influential progressive policy-focused organizations in town.

As a Rideau Institute volunteer or intern, you would be devoting a day each week at the office on Sparks Street to help out with various projects. Typically, the Institute could be busy preparing for a roundtable involving experts and Members of Parliament, setting up meetings with editorial boards at newspapers across Canada, or readying a new email campaign to engage its 50,000 supporters. It’s not unusual to have TV camera crews drop by the office, or to be attending a quickly organized meeting with MPs on Parliament Hill.

Volunteers and interns are assigned a workspace in the office, and the senior staff ensure that each person gets involved in our political – and social – activities. Office hours are 9 to 5, Monday to Friday; dress is business attire. The Institute asks that volunteers and interns set a regular weekly schedule so that everyone knows when you will be there.

Steven Staples, the Institute’s president, describes the experience like this: “We are a small, tightly knit organization, and while it can become energetic – even a bit frenetic at times – it is an active workspace where everyone gets involved in the projects. We want our interns and volunteers to be ready to join in as we work to make a better Canada.”

To inquire about volunteer or internship opportunities, please send a letter of inquiry and résumé to operations@rideauinstitute.ca, or call 613 565-9449.