Community Outreach and Water Quality Intern
Internship Overview:
The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) runs the Non-Profit Internship Program (NPIP) for a cohort of eligible college students placed with host organizations across North Carolina each summer. This internship is a paid position in the NPIP program hosted by MountainTrue. NPIP is an eight-week long paid summer internship (beginning around May 31st for most) where students are matched with and work with nonprofit organizations from across North Carolina. Internships offer a range of exposure and skill-building opportunities in areas such as research, community outreach, public policy, communications, fundraising and social media. In addition to the internship, students will have the opportunity to connect with other interns in the program and participate in ongoing professional development throughout the summer.
Eligible students must be:
- A rising sophomore, junior, or senior enrolled full-time in a four-year North Carolina college or university; OR
- A rising sophomore, junior or senior North Carolina resident enrolled full-time in a four-year accredited college outside the state; AND
- Pell grant-eligible in the academic year in which they apply for NPIP. As a part of the application process, students will be asked to upload their Student Aid Report verifying their Pell grant eligibility. Students can access this document through their FAFSA login. Click here for further directions. Students ineligible for a Pell grant due to documentation issues or criminal conviction may be eligible and should contact Clare Bradshaw. For more information, check the Non-Profit Internship Program FAQs.
Position Description:
For the water quality portion of the position, this intern will help facilitate our summer water quality programs, both aimed at tracking sources of bacteria pollution in the river. Our intent with these programs is twofold— 1). to alert the public of high E. coli levels to ensure safe water for safe recreation, and 2) pinpointing sewer/septic leaks and agricultural runoff problems in order to get them fixed. This position will be coordinating water sampling volunteers, taking water samples, performing lab and field work, managing data, conducting research, and distributing and disseminating results to the public.
When not working with our water quality team, this position will support our Communications Team and Community Engagement Director with press releases, media advisories, outreach events, educational programs and/or advocacy campaigns. This work could include promoting events on social media, helping coordinate volunteer work days, preparing materials for educational displays, managing information in our advocacy database, and other tasks that help us communicate with the public about the environmental threats our region faces and our plans to respond to those threats.
Skills of Intern:
- Positive attitude, comfortable with a changing schedule as needed per weather and other factors, attention to detail, eager to learn, skilled in communications, ideally with experience writing press releases or other written pieces for the public to read, ideally some background in water quality monitoring, but not required
Suggested Major or Degree:
- For the water quality work majors in the sciences such as chemistry or biology would be helpful or environmental science broadly. Though majors in policy, marketing, or communications would be helpful for the community outreach work, so we are flexible.
Start date: Within the last week of May or the first week of June
End date: Dependent on the start date. This position lasts for 8 full weeks.
Work schedule: Generally Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
Location: This position will work with staff in our Asheville office. The samples will be collected throughout the French Broad Watershed.
Compensation: Interns receive a taxable stipend of $3,200 and mileage will be reimbursed at approximately $0.47 per mile
To apply for this position, complete the ZSR NPIP Application Form and select MountainTrue as your preferred Non-Profit Organization on the first question of the form. Applications are due by Monday, February 21, 2022.