Accepting Intern Applications for our Bilingual Nature Program: 2019 Speak Creek Internships

Do you believe that everyone should have equal access to Greater Portland’s natural areas and the environmental education opportunities they hold? Are you interested in gaining job skills relevant to environmental restoration and education, nonprofit operations, and event planning and outreach?

Johnson Creek Watershed Council (JCWC) is seeking two multilingual interns with a passion for environmental stewardship and social or environmental justice! Our staff will provide you with mentorship and professional guidance geared towards a career path in the environmental and non-profit sectors. Apply today and join the JCWC team in discovering how the power of your language can serve to connect members of your community with nature as well as open opportunities in education and advancement!

Internship Title: Speak Creek Intern

Reports To: Community Outreach Coordinator

Duration: Mid-August 2019 to late-October/early-November 2019

Hours: Approximately 4-10 hours/week; weekday work schedule is flexible, especially for academic commitments. Prefer availability on some Tuesdays and Thursdays. Minimum 2 weekend days required.

Start Date: Flexible, mid-/late-August 2019

Compensation: $15/hour for up to 67 hours ($1000 total if full term is completed).

Application Due Date: Open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting on August 12, 2019.

Organization Description

JCWC was founded in 1995 by community members with the mission to promote restoration and stewardship of a healthy Johnson Creek watershed through sound science and community engagement. We run successful programs in ecological restoration and monitoring, volunteer stewardship, environmental education, community outreach, and regional land use advocacy. With over 180,000 people living in the Johnson Creek watershed, we aim to broaden and deepen the awareness of and appreciation for the ecological, cultural, economic, and recreational value of the watershed. We accomplish much of our community engagement through our riparian stewardship and community science programs—last year we had 2,188 volunteers who gave 9,560 hours of their time!

Internship Description

As a Speak Creek Intern, you will work with JCWC staff and your community to ensure that our mission and activities across the watershed progress with equity, inclusivity, and cultural relevance. You will translate JCWC outreach materials and plan a nature-based event for a multilingual, refugee, immigrant, and/or culturally-specific community within the watershed. Centered on your community’s native language, your outreach and education programming will engage members of your community in environmental education and outdoor access. The event theme you choose to focus on will depend on the community’s interest. Events from past interns have included a Spanish-English garden workshop about bees, a Vietnamese-English led tree planting event, and a Zomi Burmese-English guided nature walk.

Your time will be divided between working on a computer, participating in meetings, assisting in occasional fieldwork or

Johnson Creek Watershed Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value the diverse communities that grace the Johnson Creek watershed, and wish to make ALL feel welcome and safe. BIPOC, alternatively-abled, veteran, immigrant, refugee, and LGBTQI candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

wildlife monitoring, implementing outreach, and attending community events. You will also spend time hosting your planned event and completing follow-up work (e.g., volunteer surveys and event information tracking). Through this internship, you will gain highly transferrable job skills, network with members of your community and professional field, and lay the groundwork for a successful career in the environmental field. You—the project leader—will do most of the event planning to make this event one that is both meaningful and memorable!

General Responsibilities (to include, but not limited to)

  • ∙Attend orientation and a tour of three parks and natural areas in the watershed.
  • ∙Plan, coordinate, and host a multilingual nature-based event with your community in the watershed.
    • Plan all aspects of a tour or restoration event (e.g., location, date and time, theme, activities, and outreach strategies); maintain logistics spreadsheets and schedules; create registration and event pages for the JCWC website and Facebook page.
    • Coordinate with partner organizations and/or streamside landowners of your event site, solicit and secure in-kind contributions from new and continuing community partners, organize transportation, and invite community members and other organizations through online, phone, and in-personcommunications.
    • Host your event with the support of JCWC staff/interns/volunteers, transport educational materials or restoration tools, arrange for catering, and carry out your lesson plan while providing a safe space.
  • ∙Translate JCWC outreach materials to the native language of your community.
    • Includes existing JCWC materials (e.g., brochures, maps, wildlife/plant brochure guides, and volunteer surveys) and creating flyers, social media and other outreach posts, and handouts related to your event.
  • ∙Publish a multilingual blog post and social media posts for the JCWC website and other online platforms.
  • ∙Maintain a well-kept journal of hours and all weekly activities and accomplishments.
  • ∙Collect and manage data from your event.
    • Send a follow-up survey to your event guests; input volunteer registration information into email and contact database.

Requirements

  • ∙Must be at least 16 years old.
  • ∙Some level of fluency in spoken and written English and a second language.
    • Chinese- (including Mandarin and Cantonese) and Russian-speaking interns especially sought for 2019.
  • ∙Proficiency in basic computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
  • ∙Desire to build and foster community-oriented opportunities.
  • ∙Punctual, responsible, organized, friendly, and self-motivated.
  • ∙Able to work well independently and on a team.
  • ∙Initiative to seek out new resources and contacts.
  • ∙Willingness to speak in front of large groups and work well with people of diverse backgrounds.

Benefits

  • ∙Develop leadership and community outreach skills.
  • ∙Educate and interact deeply with your community.
  • ∙Build relationships with JCWC and local environmental professionals.
  • ∙Gain experience with event planning and coordination.
  • ∙Build an understanding of environmental restoration and stewardship.
  • ∙Become familiar with the workings of a dynamic, conservation-oriented nonprofit.
  • ∙Build a writing portfolio that includes blogs, social media posts, and translated material.
  • ∙Letters of reference, feedback on cover letters and resumes, and professional reference contacts.
  • ∙Exposure to different software, applications, and programs including Canva, Gmail, Google Drive, Eventbrite, Facebook, Instagram, Salesforce, Twitter, Vertical Response, and WordPress.

Johnson Creek Watershed Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value the diverse communities that grace the Johnson Creek watershed, and wish to make ALL feel welcome and safe. BIPOC, alternatively-abled, veteran, immigrant, refugee, and LGBTQI candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Where: JCWC office, 4033 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland, OR 97202. The JCWC office is located near Trimet bus lines #19 and #75, and we can provide you with bus passes if needed. Other locations determined as needed.

TO APPLY: Submit applications in complete form online through the online application process

(http://jcwc.org/volunteer-application/) and email a notice of your completed application and a copy of your resume (two-page limit) to jeffrey@jcwc.org with subject title “Last Name_Speak Creek Intern 2019”. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting on August 12, 2019. The preferred start date is mid-/late-August (or as soon as possible).

Please email questions regarding this internship position to Community Science Program Coordinator (Interim) Jeffrey Lee at jeffrey@jcwc.org.