Social Inequality Health & Policy

January 4, 2017, Filed Under: Employment Opportunity, Internship

Latino Heritage Internship Program Summer 2017

Latino Heritage Internship Program

Application Period Ending Soon!!

The National Park Service and Hispanic Access Foundation’s Latino Heritage Internship Program (LHIP) is designed to train young people in the skills of cultural, historical, natural resource management. The program will raise awareness of our national parks and historic sites, their accessibility and the need for the Latino community’s involvement in their preservation.

For this purpose, HAF will select and oversee eighteen highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students to work alongside NPS historians, interpreters, archaeologists, architects, and curators on cultural resources projects in different park units, offices and historical sites throughout the nation. Students will have substantive assignments in their areas of study, work closely with NPS staff day-to-day and receive additional mentoring and support through HAF. This summer, we will offer two types of LHIP internships:

LHIP Internship:

An entry internship that focuses on career exploration and building fundamental natural resource science skills. Each LHIP Intern will receive a weekly stipend of $400, park-provided housing or a housing allowance and paid travel expenses. Interns who successfully complete 640 hours of work in one or more eligible internships and are under the age of 26 will be eligible for the Public Land Corps noncompetitive hiring authority for 120 days following the completion of the internship. Successful completion of an LHIP internship does not guarantee that the participant will be hired into a federal position.

LHIP Direct Hiring Authority Resource Assistant internship (DHA-RA):

A unique internship opportunity aiming to build a pathway to employment in the Department of Interior (DOI). DHA-RA interns will apply cultural and natural resource expertise to NPS management and build a network with federal employees throughout the internship. These rigorous internships require specialized knowledge and typically are available to upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students or recent graduates. DHA-RA interns will receive a weekly stipend of $480, park-provided housing or a housing allowance, and paid travel expenses. DHA-RA interns who successfully complete the internship requirements become eligible to be non-competitively hired by the DOI for two years from the date of their degree. Successful completion of the internship does not guarantee that the participant will be hired into a federal position.

LHIP DHA positions are currently being reviewed and pending approval. If you are interested in any of the tentative DHA projects listed below, please submit your application during the first week of January, and e-mail our LHIP Program Manager at rodrigo@hispanicaccess.org.

Basic Eligibility

Age 18 to 35
Possess US citizenship or permanent residence
Be enrolled in a post-secondary educational program or have graduated from college within the past year
Have a strong interest — or relevant experience — in areas pertaining to — but not limited to — history, historic preservation, public history, museum studies, archaeology, cultural interpretation, landscape architecture, anthropology or other related fields.
Bilingual skills (Spanish/English) — helpful and more needed for some positions
Be social media savvy!

Timeframe

Applications must be submitted by February 6th, 2017. Top candidates will be selected for interviews between mid-January and March. Placement decisions and assignments will generally be made during the month of March.
Standard LHIP positions will go for a 10-week period will beginning in late May through early June 2017 and conclude in July through early September 2017 depending on specific requirements of the project site.
Direct Hiring Authority positions will last 11 weeks

Background and Goals

A 2014 research briefing by Latino Decisions and the Hispanic Access Foundation analyzed nine major public opinion polls from the last three years and found that Latinos overwhelmingly support greater environmental protections, such as preserving parks and public lands. Additionally, this briefing found that 1) Latinos viewed natural and cultural resource conservation as essential to a better quality of life and that 2) Latinos believe individuals and government have important roles in protecting these resources. This program will seek to increase the engagement of Latinos, as they are currently the most underrepresented population group in the NPS workforce.

The program will advance employment and community engagement opportunities with an emphasis on cultural resource stewardship and interpretation. It will target undergraduates and graduate students while developing mission critical internship projects that will support NPS goals and objectives. The experience will create strong mentor and protégé relationships and support the career growth of talented students. In addition, it will help to expand NPS outreach into Latino communities nationally and develop deep and sustainable partnerships.

Selection criteria

Candidates may express interest in specific geographic and thematic areas. Specific assignments will be based on best fit with specific requirements of each NPS location. Final candidates will undergo a background check before beginning their assignment. Applications will be reviewed and rated according to the following criteria:

Relevant educational and work experience
Oral and written communication skills
Professionalism, technical knowledge, and expertise
Adaptability, adventurousness, and ability to work effectively with diverse audiences.

The internship program is with the National Park Service and primary seeks students (undergrad and grad) or recent graduates from fields such as history, historic preservation, public history, museum studies, archeology, cultural interpretation, cultural landscapes, architecture, anthropology, or other related fields. This internship provides a stipend, housing, and covers transportation costs.

The application is now open and will close on Feb 6th, 2017.

To apply: https://hispanicaccess.org/our-projects/latino-heritage-internship-program

December 19, 2016, Filed Under: Internship

Immigrant Detention Visitation Intern

About Grassroots Leadership:

Grassroots Leadership is an Austin, Texas-based national organization that works for a more just society where prison profiteering, mass incarceration, deportation and criminalization are things of the past. We believe that no one should be detained or deported, and that human connection and organizing has the power to challenge the immigration and criminal justice systems. Advocacy should be lead by those most directly impacted by systems of injustice, as they are the ones most knowledgeable about the issues, impacted by the decisions, and most qualified to lead.

Skills/Background/Qualifications:

Grassroots Leadership is seeking a dedicated, passionate individual to join our team in a 10-15 hr/wk unpaid Immigrant Detention Visitation internship. The ideal candidate will have personal or family history with detention and/or deportation, be bilingual English/Spanish, foreign born or from an immigrant family, and a person of color, all of which are representative of the communities most impacted by unjust immigration policies. Additional qualifications include:

-Excellent written communication and listening skills in both English and Spanish

— able to speak clearly and write expressively

-Able to work in a fast paced environment and respond quickly to changing priorities

–Highly organized

-Strong critical thinking skills, with the confidence/ability to question analytically

-Cross culturally responsive showing ability to work with a wide variety of individuals from various backgrounds, including immigrant, faith-based, and student populations

-Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well within a team

-Ability to process highly sensitive information shared around violence experienced and sexual-based trauma

-Kindness, flexibility, and sense of humor – we’re a small, family-like organization that values community

-Knowledge of MS Office, Google Docs and Gmail, and database systems strongly desired

Internship Responsibilities:

Primary internship responsibilities would be to support training, engagement, and advocacy with community volunteers visiting asylum-seeking women detained at the Hutto Detention Center outside Austin, TX. The vast majority of women detained are from Central America, most escaping persecution at the hands of gangs, traffickers, and abusers. Our program trains community volunteers to visit with the women one-on-one for the duration of their stays, with the goals of 1) ending the isolation of detention, 2) monitoring human rights abuses and 3) creating advocates for detention reform. Core internship responsibilities include:

– Developing continuing development trainings around exposing injustice and lifting voice through multi-media, to include but not limited to blog posts, film vinets, photography, and other earned media

– Assisting with volunteer recruitment within Student, faith-based, and spanish dominant communities

– Preparation and co-facilitation of new volunteer orientations, including separate orientations conducted in English and in Spanish

– Leading volunteers on group visits to the Hutto Detention Center

– Resource Sharing with volunteers

– Participation in organizing activities.

To Apply:

Please send resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Sofia Casini, Detention Coordinator at scasini@grassrootsleadership.org by Monday, January 9th