Chewonki Foundation - Traveling Natural History Program Unpaid Internship

The Chewonki Foundation is seeking candidates for the Traveling Natural History Program Unpaid Internship.

Internship duration: Mid-January – Mid-June 2013
Posted: September 24, 2012
Applications due by October 29, 2012

Chewonki Foundation, Inc., is a year-round, nonprofit environmental education center based on a 400-acre peninsula in mid-coast Maine. We offer semester school for high school juniors, summer camps for boys and girls, co-ed wilderness expeditions for teens and adults, programs for independent and public school groups, and traveling natural history programs.

Chewonki Mission
Chewonki is dedicated to helping people grow individually and in community with others by providing educational experiences that foster an understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the natural world and that emphasize the power of focused, collective effort.

Traveling Natural History Program Description
Chewonki's Traveling Natural History Program uses outreach lessons, non-releasable live animals, and hands on activities to teach in surrounding communities year-round. On campus, we care for resident animals, which include raptors, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, and arthropods. These non-releasable animals are trained to be comfortable in teaching situations, and require daily care and detailed record keeping.

Off campus, we travel across the entire state of Maine, and occasionally into New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We teach programs for all ages and visit schools, libraries, community organizations, and businesses.

The Traveling Natural History Program shares our Wiscasset campus with many other programs. For descriptions of our other programs, visit www.chewonki.org. Most faculty, instructors, apprentices and interns live on campus and work together to make the community a successful one.

Internship Description
We offer a 6-month internship (Mid-January through Mid-June) with an earlier ending date negotiable. This internship will provide the opportunity to learn about all aspects of this program, while living in community with other Chewonki staff.

This 6-month Internship will provide the following opportunities:

1. Working with our resident animals. The intern will work closely with current staff to learn each animal’s daily feeding and care routine, to understand safe animal handling techniques, and to learn best practices in teaching with live animals.
2. Observing and shadowing experienced instructors. Working closely with many different instructors provides an intern the opportunity to observe a variety of leadership styles and teaching methods. These shadowing experiences will include assisting in the preparation and follow up required for each of our traveling programs on the road.
3. Learning effective teaching techniques. Interns will be learning from experienced instructors. This will include observing and shadowing natural history lessons for a wide range of participants (pre K – assisted living adults) in a variety of teaching settings.
4. Developing a solid natural history background. We provide animal background information, detailed presentation notes, staff development learning opportunities, and time to research natural history topics.
5. Practical teaching application. After adequate training and observation periods, we will provide supervised teaching opportunities. The intern will be able to put into practice the teaching they have observed. For optimum benefit to the intern, this teaching will be varied in natural history topic, age and location.
6. Observation and feedback on supervised teaching. The Program Director will work closely with the intern to set goals for public speaking, provide feedback for programs observed, and monitor success in teaching.
7. Understanding the logistics behind the program. The intern will learn aspects of what it takes to run a program. We will provide opportunities in the office to understand the paperwork that keeps us organized and some of the projects that help us to move forward.
8. Participating in other Chewonki Programs. For continued learning, we will provide opportunities to explore other programs and participate in the projects they are currently working on. The programs may include Chewonki Semester School, the salt marsh farm, campus facilities, development office, sustainability, or Outdoor Classroom.

Preferred Qualifications
A BS or BA. Degree in education, natural sciences, or related field. Qualified applicants who are currently enrolled in college will be considered for the internship, as will gap-year students.
Experience working with animals
Experience public speaking
Ability to lift up to 50 lb.
Candidates must pass a driving record and background check before hire

Benefits
The intern will not be entitled to receive salary, benefits or other compensation. The intern will receive room and board due to the live-­on-campus requirement of the internship. The intern will be covered by Worker Compensation Insurance for the duration of the agreement.

To Apply
Please email your letter of interest, resume and references to hr@chewonki.org

Please direct any questions regarding this position to Keith Crowley at 207-882-7323 ext.147

Chewonki Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.