Storying Climate Change Intern — 15-week

Job Title: Storying Climate Change Intern  

Reports to: Research Coordinator, Coady Institute 

Job Location: Coady Institute, 4780 Tompkins Lane, Antigonish. 

Wage: $16.30 / hr for undergraduate students, $18.00 / hour for graduate students and recent grads

Hours: 35 hours per week (17-week internship*) 

*Please note: this position extends beyond the standard 15-week timeframe of our program (see new start date below) but will go until the end of August.

Start Date: Expected May 1st, 2023 

Employment Hiring 

Clean is committed to Employment Equity and our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative at all job levels. The Clean Leadership Program welcomes applications from qualified self-identifying First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, Visible Minority Groups, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ applicants. If you are a member of one of the equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on our registration form. 

About the Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program 

The Clean Leadership Summer Internship program helps grow the clean economy by matching interns (age 15-30) with employers for 9- and 15-week summer work placements. Participating interns will receive paid hands-on experience, mentorship opportunities, take part in a professional development conference and training, while supporting local environmental projects.  

Program Requirements 

• Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, person who has been granted refugee status in Canada or legally entitled to work in Canada;  
• Must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of internship; 
• From and/or will be residing in Nova Scotia for the duration of the internship; 
• Must not be an immediate family member of host employer; 

About the host employer 

The Coady Institute is located on the St. Francis Xavier University campus in Antigonish, NS, and is committed to accompanying generations of global leaders skilled in the application of citizen-led, asset-based, and community-driven leadership for economic and social change. The Institute was named in honour of Rev. Dr. Moses Coady, a prominent founder of the Antigonish Movement – a people’s movement for economic and social justice that began in Nova Scotia during the 1920s. 

 In collaboration with partners in Canada and across the globe, the Institute is committed to reducing poverty and transforming societies by strengthening local economies, by building resilient communities, and by promoting social accountability and good governance. Coady Institute is committed to breaking down and transforming the North-South divide by bringing people together to exchange innovations and learn from each other. Through relevant adult education programs, effective partnerships, and applicable research, Coady Institute is equipping community leaders and their organizations with the knowledge and practical tools needed to bring about the change they want for themselves. 

Summary of position  

The host employer for this Summer Internship position through the Clean Leadership program will be the Coady Institute. In this position, you will be mainly responsible for supporting research, engagement, and knowledge mobilization activities relating to the Storying Climate Change project. You will grow your research skills through interviews, focus groups, literature reviews, and more while mapping the intersections of climate-focused work between Coady partners and community members; assist with the organization and implementation of climate-focused activities on a local level; and share your learnings through a variety of media in order to reach an audience of local and global changemakers. The successful candidate needs to have some level of qualitative research experience, must be a strong writer, and should be excited about drawing connections between climate-related work at both local and global scales.   

Duties and Responsibilities  

Engagement-specific tasks: 

• Supporting the Engage Climate Change Community of Practice 
• Supporting and/or moderating webinars related to climate change 
• Assisting with and/or leading community-based SDG or climate activities and initiatives being organized in Antigonish 

Research-specific tasks:  

• Designing and undertaking interviews, focus groups, surveys
• Conducting document reviews, literature searches and reviews, and environmental scans 
• Supporting projects through data gathering and analysis 

Knowledge translation/mobilization tasks:  

• Documenting learnings and sharing with the Coady team, local and global partners, and community members
• Sharing stories and learnings across multiple communication platforms 
• Creating/synthesizing content for infographics 
• Contributing to written pieces such as reports and newsletters 

In this role, the intern will also be expected to: 

• Attend a series of virtual onboarding training sessions taking place May 1-12 
• Attend seminars and participate in department-specific and Coady-wide team meetings and other activities occurring during the internship period. 
• Meet weekly with their direct supervisor(s). 
• Meet bi-weekly with their fellow interns as part of a Community of Learning. 
• Meet bi-weekly with their fellow interns as part of an intern-directed space. 
• Write or record monthly reflections on the internship experience (outlining learning accomplishments, overall achievements, and challenges) and submit a copy to their supervisor.
• Participate in the 2023 Nova Scotia Career and Employment Student Symposium August 15-17, which will take place virtually over Zoom. 

Requirements/Qualifications 

• Have an aptitude for safe work practices and the ability to multi-task in a busy work environment; 
• Be able to work productively as part of a team while responding to feedback;
• Demonstrated interest in future employment in the environmental or clean sector is considered an asset; 
• Have some level of existing experience conducting qualitative or mixed-methods research, preferably within a university or college setting; 
• Have strong written and oral communication skills (i.e., written work requires little editing, and the intern is comfortable or keen to learn how to lead activities such as interviews or moderating webinars); 
• Be able to work from Antigonish for most of the summer. 

Working Conditions
The majority of the work for this position will take place at the Coady Institute on the STFX campus in Antigonish, NS. The intern will have access to an on-campus innovation hub when working in-person, which they will share with other interns working across the Institute. Some tasks may be done remotely, but the intern should expect to be in Antigonish for most of the summer. 

 Physical Requirements
Not applicable.