Internship Framework
In their second summer in DDCSP@UW, Scholars partner with a regional organization to complete a 7 week internship focused on conservation, equity, and inclusion. This is an opportunity for our scholars to provide meaningful support to a partner organization, while developing professional and interpersonal skills. At the end of our 8-week program, scholars will share their insights and experiences at our annual Conservation Scholar Summit, which will be a virtual gathering that is open to the public.
Typically, scholars are placed in groups of 2-4 with one organization to provide peer support and practice collaborative team work. Within an organization, scholars can work together on a project and deliverable or do work adjacent to each other.
DDCSP staff provide ongoing support to scholars and internship sites to ensure there is reciprocity and generative communication throughout the partnership. We conduct regular check ins, request a mid-point evaluation, solicit feedback upon completion of the internship, and are readily available for additional support for all parties.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about conservation issues and organizations
- Gain appreciation for the range of approaches and perspectives employed in conservation
- Develop skills in collaboration, communication, and shared leadership
- Learn to collect, analyze, and synthesize data into a tangible project deliverable
- Bring value to conservation organization through an individual or joint project
- Reflect on agency, identity and power across a variety of organizations engaged in conservation work
- Gain experience in 1-2 methods/approaches used in conservation practice*
Project Outcomes:
A tangible product or outcome will serve as the culminating project deliverable due at the end of the 8-week summer program. Each project deliverable will reflect the goals and activities of the host organization and unique interests and skills of the scholars, thereby they will vary by site and scholar. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Analyzed data set
- Report
- Scientific poster
- Documentary or storytelling project
- Outreach activities
- Communications campaign (newsletter, op-ed piece, blog post, etc.)
- Conservation action
Roles and Contributions of the Host Site and Site Mentor:
The internship site will commit to providing a conservation professional to serve as the lead Internship Host for the duration of the internship, including the preparation period beginning in March 2020 (approximately 1 call/month). The Site Mentor should be readily available for scholars during working hours, and work closely with the scholars and DDCSP staff, as needed to:
- Provide guidelines (including literature and other sources), to help scholars develop their individual projects (pre-internship, and while working on site)
- Allow for use of supplies and work space during the scholar’s work time
- Train scholars on methodologies needed for their projects, and guidance with data analysis
- Provide feedback and support to the scholar’s project deliverable
- Participate in or help create networking opportunities
- Provide scholars with insight into the workings of a conservation organization
- Provide guidance in both self-directed learning and executing collaborative projects
- Engage in sustained conversation regarding the relationships between environmental justice, conservation and what inclusive conservation practice can and should look like
