The Context

10 Billion Strong, through our fiscal sponsor, Empowerment Works, is implementing three separate State Department public diplomacy programs for emerging environmental leaders which will connect university students in the U.S. with peers in Ghana, Kenya, and Namibia. The programs will begin in fall 2022 and each run for approximately one year.

The Namibia program will focus on wildlife conservation and include 30 U.S. university students. The Ghana and Kenya programs will both focus on eco-entrepreneurship and each include 15 U.S. university students. Most of the program components will be virtual, though in-person activities will be arranged for the students in the three African countries with our local partners. All of the participants will enroll in the online 16 module / two-month Green Leaders Academy program, which focuses on environmental literacy, leadership development, and civic engagement. Following this course, the students will work on projects to address an environmental challenge in the three African countries.

Read more about the programs in the summaries below at the end of the position description.

Your Impact
In this role, you’ll support the full program cycle by assisting with project activities that will evolve as the programs progress. You’ll be assigned to a portion of the key tasks across some of the areas below, either independently, or in collaboration with other team members:

Participant recruitment: recruiting participants in the U.S. (60 university students total) by creating compelling marketing materials, promoting the program across relevant networks, building relationships with university centers and departments, and connecting with prospective applicants.
Participant selection and enrollment: screening applicants, arranging interviews, sending offer letters, and enrolling participants.
Developing on-boarding and training materials: helping to document and create program tutorials, FAQs, templates, tools, and content related to eco-entrepreneurship and wildlife conservation.
Program implementation: helping to ensure success of the program by identifying expert guest speakers, scheduling live training sessions, supporting monitoring & evaluation activities, and helping to arrange in-person activities in Africa in 2023.
Program reporting: assist with the creation of reports for internal and external stakeholders, including State Department program officers.

Learning and Growth

You will learn and grow through this internship by getting an in-depth experience with how the State Department implements its public diplomacy programs. You'll learn about critical environmental challenges and innovative solutions for addressing them. You'll gain experience by observing how experiential education can play a positive role in building bridges across cultures and geographies. You'll learn about program design, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, budget management, and how to plan activities across disparate geographic areas.

Location and Time Commitment
This is a remote position and ideal for an undergraduate or graduate student based in the U.S. We expect that you will be able to commit to a regular schedule and support the project for at least 10 hours per week between September 2022 and January 2023, with the possibility of extending until August 2023.

Compensation
This is an unpaid internship. Candidates with specialized monitoring and evaluation experience may be eligible for a stipend

Requirements and Skills (we are looking for a blend of these, and recognize that not all candidates will possess all of them)

Proactive, comfortable taking the initiative
Natural networker and connector
Excellent communication skills
Multitasking and analytical skills
Experience in customer engagement and care
Experience in multiple social media platforms
Ability to create and deliver creative content (text, image and video)
Familiarity with online marketing strategies and marketing channels
Ability to grasp future trends in digital technologies and act proactively
Familiarity with environmental issues, especially in Africa
Knowledge of experiential education and / or online learning pedagogy

Application
To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to team [at] tenbillionstrong.org. The cover letter, addressed to Patrick Arnold, should be concise, compelling, and include why you would like to intern with 10 Billion Strong.

Program Summaries:

Ghana Summary: Developing Youth Ecopreneurs in Ghana and the United States
Our mission is to transform youth from passive bystanders of environmental crises to active leaders who can make a difference. We have a proven methodology to support youth to develop an understanding of what environmental issues are happening in their communities and globally, learn how to lead themselves and others, and to build capacity to use the levers of power to create change. We propose to design and implement a year-long program for 15 American and 15 Ghanaian university students to join together in an environmental leadership program to not just learn about environmental issues, but to take action and launch sustainable enterprises, multiplying our impact across communities in Ghana.

Kenya Summary: Developing Youth Ecopreneurs in Kenya and the United States
We propose to design and implement a 12-month program to address the U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Public Diplomacy Section priority program area of environmental justice. The program will enroll high school-aged youth, university students, and early to mid-career NGO professionals in Kenya to build their capacity to engage in civic participation in order to advance environmental justice and, “address the significant and adverse health, environmental, economic, climate, and other cumulative impacts of pollution and environmental degradation, especially on communities that are marginalized or underserved.”

Namibia Summary: Developing Youth Wildlife Conservation Leaders in Namibia and the United States
We propose to implement a 12-month program for 30 U.S. and 30 Namibian university students aged 18-26 to join together in an environmental leadership program focused on environmental literacy, leadership development, civic engagement, and with a concentration on wildlife conservation. Through student-led projects and a wrap-up community event, the program intends to reach 1,000 Namibian community members.