US Youth Programs Internship

The Climate Reality Project is a nonprofit organization founded by former US Vice President Al Gore. Our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.  

At The Climate Reality Project, we come to work every day to help solve the climate crisis. We do it by working from the ground up, empowering people and communities worldwide to fight for their future and together drive a just transition to clean energy.

We are committed to building a more just and equitable world, one where all voices are heard and respected regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or physical ability. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other historically marginalized communities. We encourage applicants to read our diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice statement on our website.

Internship Program

The goal of our internship program is to provide a high-quality learning experience that helps to form the foundation for a career in the climate change or environmental movement for a diverse group of individuals seeking hands-on work experience in the field. 

We offer paid internships in three cycles (spring, summer, fall) that align to typical college semesters. Each cycle runs for approximately 10-15 weeks. We ask for a 15-20 hour minimum commitment per week. Interns will be allowed to work a maximum of 30 hours per week. The internship opportunities are in a variety of programs and departments that will vary from cycle to cycle. Every Climate Reality intern is assigned a mentor who works closely with them to help navigate the organization, create overall objectives, and oversee their work plan.

Our Spring 2024 Internship begins January 22nd and runs through May 3rd. This is a hybrid position in Washington, DC office where our DC-based staff will come to our Washington DC office two days a week. 

Interns will be paid $17.00/hr and will receive a Climate Reality Macbook to use during their internship.

Position Summary

The Global Youth Programs team, a sub-team of the Diversity & Justice team, is looking for an intern to assist with programming, resource development, and support for our US-based network of volunteers age 25 and under, particularly those involved with the Green Schools Campaign (GSC). The Global Youth Programs team works closely with student volunteer-members working at the high school and college/university level to develop their leadership and build up long-term engagement with the Climate Reality Project.

Green Schools Campaign is a student-led initiative that centers advocacy and grassroots organizing to enable leaders to spearhead campaigns to transition educational institutions to 100 percent renewable energy and advance sustainability policies.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the work of the Global Youth Programs team across Climate Reality programs, particularly with the Green Schools Campaign
• Support Green Schools Campaign development with volunteer outreach and recruitment, curriculum development, media engagement, and student leader coaching
• Assisting with creation of online and offline content and resources for Green Schools Campaign and the broader Global Youth Program
• Building and maintaining on-going communications with GSC leaders and volunteers via email, phone call, or Zoom
• Researching and tracking Youth Program wins and news, particularly with Green Schools Campaign
• Researching the broader landscape of the youth climate movement
• Support Global Youth Programs work as needed

 

Required Skills and Abilities

• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills
• Creative problem solving and experience working on a team
• An interest in environmental advocacy and solving the climate crisis
• Experience in volunteer education and outreach, especially prior work with students and/or young people
• Prior work in nonprofit advocacy, the climate movement, and/or political campaigns
• Experience with Microsoft Suite
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and/or environmental justice training or experience

 

Organizational Competencies

The Climate Reality Project has adopted a competency-based approach to job definition, hiring, performance assessment, and professional development. The following are our seven organization-wide competencies and examples of how they manifest for this role.

1. Teamwork and Collaboration: Builds and sustains productive working relationships with colleagues; actively listens to others and seeks to understand diverse perspectives; follows through on commitments.
2. Flexibility and Adaptability: Demonstrates the ability to adapt to changing priorities and circumstances; takes initiative to solve problems, improve processes, and/or achieve outcomes; learns quickly when faced with new situations or systems.
3. Written and Verbal Communication: Written communication is clear and concise; verbal communication is intentional and straightforward; provides timely and helpful information across the organization as needed; gives and receives constructive feedback in a thoughtful manner.
4. Time and Project Management: Possesses a strong work ethic i.e., a sense of ownership over tasks, commitment to following things through, and a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done; manages multiple competing priorities, tasks, and projects effectively, appropriately seeking help from others when needed.
5. Professional Development: Shows commitment and acts to continuously improve; connects with advocates, experts, mentors, and resources, and actively seeks new ways to grow and be challenged through internal and external training opportunities; accepts assignments that broaden capabilities.
6. Climate Justice: Works to understand and achieve anti-racist principles to disrupt the systems of white supremacy, privilege, classism, sexism, and racism; seeks to understand how systemic racism and environmental injustice impact individuals and frontline and fenceline communities; works to promote a welcoming and inclusive environment in Climate Reality spaces (workplace, events, trainings, and other convenings).
7. Climate Reality Mission and Focus: Is passionate about Climate Reality's role and mission and can act as a Climate Reality ambassador to a diverse set of audiences.

 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Climate Reality, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this internship but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in this job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this internship.

The Climate Reality Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or any other category prohibited by local, state or federal law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, social and recreational activities and termination.

HOW TO APPLY

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 references with their names, your relationship, and their contact information to [email protected]. Please use this subject line: US Youth Programs Internship.

Also, let us know in your email with your submission the job site or other source where you found our posting.