Program areas at Amnesty International
the movement building department at aiusa is composed of five key divisions: 1) campaigns, 2) programs, 3) research, 4) organizing & activism, and 5) member leadership and training. the campaigns and membership department's key function is to work, primarily within the united states, to effect change on a global scale in the following thematic areas: 1) individuals at risk; 2) gun violence; 3) refugees and asylum-seekers; 4) death penalty abolition; 5) national security; 6) deadly force and police accountability; and 7) gender, sexuality & identity. (continued on schedule o).movement building (continued):1) campaigns - the campaigns unit manages cross-functional efforts to achieve timebound deliverables on urgent human rights issues. Currently, these campaigns include ending gun violence and protecting the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as crisis response campaigns on covid-19 and police accountability. 2) programs - the programs unit consists of issue experts who manage ongoing bodies of work surrounding human rights issues and build the foundation for effective campaigns. 3) research - the research unit documents human rights violations and abuses in the united states and develops individual cases for advocacy by the campaigns and programs units. 4) organizing & activism - the organizing and activism unit organizes and builds regional mobilization capacity in the united states. 5) member leadership & training - the member leadership and training unit builds capacity for grassroots advocacy by conducting training for member and volunteer leaders; the member leadership and training unit also manages five volunteer leadership groups: 1) state legislative coordinators; 2) area coordinators; 3) student activist coordinators; 4) country and thematic specialists; and 5) state death penalty, abolition coordinators.
International program - supports research into global human rights violations and the coordination of the International cessation efforts of the specified abuses. the prime element of this program is the annual assessment that is paid to the International secretariat to fund its global research and its subsequent actions to prevent and end human rights abuses surrounding the issues of physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and the freedom from discrimination. Also included are the support for International membership and program development in the global south and participation in International meetings, which further the goals of the collective movement.
the objective of aiusa's public affairs department is to shape and communicate the organization's story to the public. It is composed of the following units that work in conjunction with colleagues in the campaigns, programs, membership, and government relations units to identify key moments and to lift our work to external audiences. Public affairs consists of the following units: 1) media relations, 2) digital production, 3) social media, 4) events, 5) website presence, 6) artist relations, and 7) internal communications. (continued on schedule o).impact program (continued):1) media relations - the media relations unit is responsible for press strategy and creates content like press releases, press conferences, editorial board outreach, op-ed submissions, and targeted media pitches. 2) digital production and social media - the social media and digital production units create engagement strategies and content for aiusa's twitter, instagram, facebook, and other channels, as well as create content like videos and graphics to distribute to aiusa activists, supporters, and members to expand the organization's influence. 3) events - the events unit orchestrates the planning and coordination of aiusa's annual general meeting and five annual regional conferences across the country that educate, mobilize, and distribute resources to both aiusa members and activists. 4) website presence - the web team oversees all aiusa's websites, microsites, web applications, mobile applications, and online forms. 5) artist relations - the artist relations unit fosters and deepens working relationships with prominent figures in the entertainment industry and influencers to expand aiusa's reach across new audiences. 6) internal communications - the internal communications unit strategizes on systems and protocols to update the board of directors, staff, and member leaders on significant organizational developments.
the executive office includes the following units 1) inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility ("idea"), 2) advocacy and government relations, 3) strategy and governance, and 4) silicon valley initiative.1) idea - the idea group oversees ensuring more just, inclusive, and equitable work throughout aiusa, within our internal workplace practices, as well as the human rights work we do globally. They use a strategic blend of surveying both member leaders and staff to assess issues of diversity and equity, identifying critical goals to be set, providing staff and member leader training, and developing and employing a set plan to implement this new agenda over a continued period.2) advocacy & government relations - the advocacy and government relations unit educates and urges congress and federal government officials to support human rights-respecting policies worldwide. the idea group oversees ensuring more just, inclusive, and equitable work throughout aiusa, within our internal workplace practices, as well as the human rights work we do globally. They use a strategic blend of surveying both member leaders and staff to assess issues of diversity and equity, identifying critical goals to be set, providing staff and member leader training, and developing and employing a set plan to implement this new agenda over a continued period. 3) strategy & governance - the strategy and governance unit streamlines alignment between the International secretariat and aiusa as well as overseeing the internal governance practices of the organization by collaborating with the board of directors and internal aiusa staff to facilitate aiusa's governance processes from individual members on up through the International secretariat and the International board. 4) silicon valley initiative - the silicon valley initiative is a joint endeavor between the International secretariat and aiusa to collaborate with partners in the technology sector for the advancement of human rights.