CLIMATE CHANGE INTERN

Climate Change Intern


National Capital Region – 2nd Nature Program

Program Description – Intern would incorporate climate change activities into the meaningful park experiences and community projects produced by youth participating in the "2nd Nature" pilot partnership program with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC). ‘2nd Nature’ will connect underserved urban youth to national parks through art and digital media. The creative abilities of 40 youth will be developed (during 10 weeks of summer 2010) through hands-on training while simultaneously deepening their understanding of critical issues related to their environment and heritage through facilitated day and overnight explorations to national parks in the National Capital Region (NCR), and other public lands such as state parks and city parks. Youth will reflect on their experiences through art, media and digital storytelling. Throughout the creative process youth will better connect with NCR parks and communicate these experiences with their friends, family, and community. Participants will develop their leadership skills, learn how to make action plans for sharing their projects with broader audiences, and tour their final art and media products in exhibits and public screenings. Intern will also participate on the Climate Change workgroup in the National Capital Region, and assist with the regional effort to develop a climate change internal and external communications plan.

Dates (Flexible – some leeway to adjust these) – May 25-August 14, 2010

Duration – 12 weeks

Hours expected - Mon-Friday, 8 hour days with ½ hour lunch, occasional overtime. One overnight experience at the cabin camp (indoor lodge) at Catoctin Mountain Park in July 14-15.

Working environment - Intern would have a combination of office and field work. Office work will include computer and telephone contacts with partners and youth, planning the climate change aspect of the 2nd Nature program including designing activities for the youth involved, and participating in planning and partnership meetings. Field work includes participating in field visits with the youth to multiple national parks in the National Capital Region, including an overnight national park experience with the youth in the cabin camps at Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, MD. Field experiences with youth will include nature hikes, environmental testing and data analysis, and programs and hikes exploring the effects of climate change on cultural resources. After the field experiences, intern will work with the youth at LAYC to produce action plans, art & digital media as a result of their national park field experiences.

Tasks

- Participate as an integral member of the 2nd Nature planning team, working with the Latin American Youth Center staff, NPS staff in parks participating in the program, and with other partners participating in 2nd Nature. This participation includes attending planning meetings, and carrying out assigned action items - for example, assisting with planning and designing field experiences in local national parks with a climate change theme, and participating in the overnight experience at Catoctin Mountain Park.

- Participate on the NCR Climate Change response team, attending meetings, contributing ideas, and assisting with creating materials to communicate internally to NPS staff and externally to the public about climate change issues in NCR parks. For example, intern may facilitate a park experience for 2nd Nature that focuses on invasive insects affected by climate change. As part of that project, intern might assist 2nd Nature youth in producing a flyer or web content that can be used for internal and external communication about that particular issue, or the intern may produce the content herself/himself. Intern will assist with regional climate change communication planning efforts.

- Intern will assist youth in the 2nd Nature program with producing action plans in their own communities to address climate change issues.

- Intern will assist youth in the 2nd Nature program with the art and digital media that the youth will produce as a result of the meaningful park experiences, particularly for the experiences that focus on climate change issues.

- Intern will participate in evaluating the pilot 2nd Nature program, and make recommendations and record lessons learned about the project and the internship.

Specific Qualifications Requested - Intern must have:

- Intern must be at least a declared-major undergraduate in any of the following: biology, zoology, environmental science, English, communications, public relations, journalism or multidisciplinary disciplines, or a Masters Degree candidate in any of the same noted disciplines.

- Examples of course work would be field oriented science courses (geology, biology, etc), climate science, communications courses, coursework in working with youth (towards an education degree) etc.

- Intern must possess good computer skills, (i.e. proficiency in Microsoft Office, and experience with Photoshop, database and web software, and use of new social media)

- Oral/verbal and very strong written communication skills.

- High-quality time management skills; be able to work as part of a partnership team in a larger project, the "2nd Nature" youth project while also working individually to prepare and complete climate change lessons and activities.

Housing – No housing available. We would like to recruit from local college students if possible. We have some candidates who would be interested who are locally enrolled college students.

How to Apply - Please contact Paul Dion directly at pdion@ncseonline.org or at 202-207-0010.