Duration: November 2009 to January 2010 (potential to extend position)
Hours per week: 14-16
Location: Rare headquarters in Arlington, VA
About Rare and working at Rare
Rare is an innovative international environmental organization that runs social marketing campaigns in more than 50 developing countries. Named to Fast Company Magazine’s list of “Top Social Capitalists” four years in a row, Rare is committed to bringing a spirit of entrepreneurship and creativity to solving one of environmental conservation’s great challenges: building public support for conservation in the most environmentally threatened areas of the developing world.
Rare strives to conserve imperiled species and ecosystems by inspiring people to care about and protect nature. We do this by building community-level support for conservation and developing local capacity among the world’s leading local environmental organizations. Rare has trained over 150 local conservation leaders who are implementing dynamic change processes, beginning with a “Pride campaign”. Our local partners have used these Pride campaigns, which employ advanced social marketing techniques, to reach millions of people living in these ecologically threatened corners of the globe. Alumni of our program represent one of the largest and most effective networks of local leaders.
Participants in Rare’s International Service Program (Interns, Fellows, and Volunteers) and its staff are highly committed to Rare’s mission, work hard, and have fun.
Position Overview
The intern will work closely with Rare’s Senior Vice President and Senior Associate of Global Programs to assist in the revision process of the 10,000+ page curriculum of the Rare Pride Training Program, an important segment of the Global Programs team. The intern will also support Rare’s partnership and collaborative efforts with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a critical piece of Rare’s capacity building and conservation efforts around the world.
The Global Programs team strengthens the success of Rare’s signature programs – Pride campaigns – by using case studies, external best practices, and customized training content and by reinforcing a culture of learning, improvement, and excellence across the organization. This internship has the opportunity to significantly support the team’s objectives.
Areas of Responsibility
This position will have a number of responsibilities, including:
- Provide administrative and programmatic support to the Rare-UTEP partnership (30%)
- Ensure Pride campaign managers meet UTEP criteria for accreditation
- Assist reviewing of official documents for accuracy and consistency
- Work with university administration to ensure compliance with accrediting agency
- Support Rare Pride training curriculum revisions and customization (70%)
- Streamline curriculum revision process by managing transition of content into new technology
- Responsible for preliminary round of copy editing on curriculum
- Cross-reference multiple revisions and provide editorial feedback on them
- Manage creation of extensive Table of Contents
- Based on skill level, potential to improve design and presentation of training materials
Beyond the assignments described above, Rare encourages all Interns to attend pertinent events at other DC area organizations, attend relevant Rare staff meetings, and participate in Rare-hosted events/excursions. Interns are part of “the Rare team”, and Rare’s International Service Program, and we hope each takes advantage of these opportunities and participates as a team member.
Commitment Required
- November 2009 – January 2010
- 14-16 hours/week
Qualifications, Skills & Core Competencies Required
The ideal applicant will possess these qualifications, skills, and competencies:
- Must possess or be in the process of obtaining a Bachelor’s degree
- Strong preference given to candidates with prior experience in editing and writing
- Strong attention to detail
- Well organized, self-motivated, and able to manage deadlines independently
- Excellent English language skills
- Proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint
- Demonstrated interest in conservation/environmental issues through coursework, work experience, or extracurricular activity
- Graphic design and/or artistic background a plus
Compensation and Academic Credit
Compensation for Interns will be determined on a case-by-case basis, commensurate with experience and other factors. Rare also encourages Interns to make arrangements to receive academic credit for their work at Rare. We will make every effort to accommodate the requirements of credit-earning internships.
Application Process
Please email your resume and a cover letter, noting where you learned of this position. The cover letter should outline how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position. Email subject line should read: "Global Programs Intern".
Email to the attention of Anna Thompson, Manager, International Service Program at athompson@rareconservation.org.
