Are you passionate about social justice, decolonization, anti-racist organizing and higher education? Would you like to gain hands-on experience within a student-led movement committed to creating more inclusive universities? Then an internship at WeDecolonize might be for you!
Who are we?
WeDecolonize (WD) is a member organization of the University Center of Development Cooperation (UCOS) with its headquarters at the Free University Brussels (VUB). UCOS is a recognized Belgian NGO whose mission is to strengthen global citizenship skills among students in higher education. For this reason, we emphasize a critical perspective on global issues, international solidarity, and sustainable development. Since WD’s creation by a group of racialized students at the VUB in 2020, WD has served as a platform, a learning hub, a safer space and much more to (re)center racialized communities in higher education.
The project consists of four pillars, namely:
1) The deconstruction of Eurocentric knowledge systems by organizing educational events and doing academic sensitization and lobby work.
2) The creation of safer spaces on university campuses. We have our decolonial library at the VUB – a growing collection of fiction and non-fiction works written exclusively by racialized authors from across the globe.
3) Community–building: WeDecolonize builds community by including academic institutions, as well as (student) organizations and civil society organizations in our interuniversity network.
4) Public Action: WD helps you develop competencies, such as project and event management, public communication, academic and creative knowledge sharing, and leadership in an academic context.
About the internship
As an intern at WeDecolonize, you’ll support the coordinator and officers in the day-to-day running of Belgium’s national student movement for decolonizing higher education. This internship is designed around your interests, strengths, and learning goals, giving you the opportunity to explore different aspects of project coordination, research, and community engagement. A central project this academic year is the development of an art and history exhibition on the decolonization of Belgian civil society. As an intern, you’ll contribute to the research, coordination, and creative realization of this exhibition in collaboration with the WeDecolonize team and external partners.
Your tasks may include:
- Conducting historical and policy research for the exhibition;
- Supporting the coordination of the exhibition, public events, and workshops;
- Writing and editing educational texts, exhibition materials, and publications;
- Assisting with communication, outreach, and partnerships with universities, museums, researchers, artists, and civil society organizations;
Throughout the internship, you’ll receive close mentorship while developing practical skills in research, project coordination, educational content development and public engagement.
Who are we looking for?
We welcome people from a wide range of disciplines who:
- are interested in decolonization, anti-racism, gender equality, social justice and higher education;
- are eager to learn and contribute to a growing national student and academic movement;
- enjoy working collaboratively;
- have strong organizational and communication skills (or are motivated to develop them);
- are proactive, reflective and open to new perspectives.
What do we offer?
Care
This internship offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to a socially engaged and rapidly growing project while gaining valuable experience in project coordination and movement building. We provide a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative learning environment where your ideas and perspectives are valued.
Opportunities
You will gain valuable hands-on experience in research, project coordination, communication, and community engagement by contributing to an art and history exhibition, educational publications, workshops, and public events. You will have the opportunity to develop your own skills, explore your interests, and build experience in the fields of social justice, education, culture, and advocacy. By collaborating with students, academics, museums, artists, and civil society organizations across Belgium, you will expand your professional network and gain insight into how different actors work together to create social change.
Flexible working environment
Where possible, the internship will be tailored to align with your educational requirements, interests, and learning goals. We offer flexibility through the possibility to work remotely at least two days per week.
Finance
Please note that, while the internship itself is unpaid, we do reimburse transport costs related to the internship. We strongly encourage students to apply, as we aim to make the internship as accessible as possible and easy to combine with their academic programme.
Practical information
The internship will take place in a hybrid format, combining in-person work at the VUB campus (UCOS – office; Pleinlaan 5, 1050 Brussels), with remote working opportunities. The duration and structure of the internship will be agreed upon together with the intern and their educational institution, taking into account academic requirements and learning objectives.
The preferred start date is October 2026, but we remain flexible and are happy to discuss alternative arrangments. Please note that the WeDecolonize board weekend will take place from 2–4 October 2026; we encourage the intern to join this important moment, as it marks the start of a new year of collaboration, team building, and strategic planning within the academic year.
The internship is open to students from all Belgian universities and colleges who are interested in decolonization, social justice, anti-racism, and community building. We particularly encourage BIPOC and racialized students to apply. We believe that diverse lived experiences and perspectives are essential to our work and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all interns.
How to apply
To apply for the WeDecolonize internship, please send your CV and a short motivation letter of max. 500 words to wedecolonize@ucos.be, with ines.alshare@ucos.be in cc. Please use “INTERNSHIP WEDECOLONIZE” as the subject line of your email. Applications that do not follow these instructions may not be considered.
The application deadline is midnight on 4 September 2026. Selected candidates will be invited for an introductory interview with the UCOS team in September. The interview will be scheduled at a time that takes your availability into account.
We look forward to receiving your application and hopefully welcoming you into the WeDecolonize community!
PS: Don’t hesitate to get in contact if you have any questions or concerns. You can always reach out via mail wedecolonize@ucos.be. When you do, please put ines.alshare@ucos.be in cc.
Want to know more about what WeDecolonize does? Please visit our Instagram and website.
