One day during my summer media internship in Washington D.C. with International Christian Concern, ICC President Jeff King called me in for some “advise as a millennial”. (Turns out, I’m actually a Generation Z-er!) The president and I talked about ways to better connect with audiences today – one of them being his desire to vlog. So, with a pat on the shoulder and a deadline for end of day, I added another responsibility to my position: video script writer and video editor. After analyzing relevant, audience-based political and religious freedom content, I wrote a script on North Korea and Egypt within the next three hours.
This scenario was synonymous with my overall experience (and other duties) as an ICC intern in D.C. that summer: exciting, challenging, political, and busy! Throughout my time at ICC, I also managed all social media channels, created graphics, wrote scripts and newsletters, created new social media and video content (like this video below), represented ICC at various city events and national conferences, and more!
The ICC crew followed strict protocols, relevant and timely news of the utmost transparency, and ongoing direct communication with its audiences. For example, my responsbilities of managing the social media content calendar alone included the following:
Mondays: Post 2 news pieces, 1 video, 1 newsletter signup and a project update story with CTA and audience follow-up.
Tuesday: Post 2 news pieces, 1 video, 1 petition promotion and the thematic prayer calendar with new graphic.
Wednesday: Post 2 news pieces, 1 video, 1 internship posting, current internship recap and a project updates story.
…You get the idea.
Leading online communications also included updating Regional Directors, government offices, and donors (from Africa to the Middle East to California) with important news via Immediate Releases, Press Releases, and "Giving Voices" breaking news stories. These different writing styles taught me how to more concisely communicate important information while still engaging the audience and provoking empathy.
Eventually my internship shifted into a part-time position as Digital Media Coordinator for the United States. This included tracking analytics, conversational tone, online audience interactions, trends, reasons behind most and least successful posts, and evaluation of competitors. In two months, ICC increased ranking from the sixth anti-persecution organization on Facebook to the fourth! In three months, the number of likes on the ICC Facebook page likes had increased by 1,345, and Twitter followers by 36.
Although this position did not best align with my interests or skills, I am truly grateful to have experienced this rigorous and structured work culture, while learning valuable principles with communication, writing and creative arts skills. I will never forget my life-changing time in Washington D.C. with others who are passionate about politics and making a change in the world!