Youth Empowerment Stewards (YES) - NCRO Office of Communications and Community Engagement Intern
Stipend: $600/week ($15/hr)
Internship Length: 12 weeks, full time
Number of Positions: 1
Start Date: 5/29/2023
Reports to: National Capital Region - Office of Communications and Community Engagement (NCRO), National Park Service (NPS)
YES (Youth Empowerment Stewards) Program:
Are you passionate about disability rights and accessibility in National Parks and public lands? Do you identify as having a disability yourself? Work with us and help increase access to the outdoors for everyone. Our health, our planet, and our collective future rely on diversity—in thought, ability, experience, and ideas. That's why we need YOU. Become a Youth Empowerment Steward (YES) intern and help make the outdoors more accessible for all!
NCRO Office of Communications and Community Engagement Intern:
Our office provides support to National Capital Region national parks in a variety of fields including communications (digital and media), interpretation, volunteers, and partnerships. In particular, my division is responsible for the digital communications component, ensuring the public has access to information to help them plan a visit to a national park, understand its resources and values, and facilitate stewardship of the parks.
Throughout the NPS, accessibility information on park websites is wildly inconsistent and less complete than it could be. Accessibility is a spectrum of abilities, not just ADA compliance; we need to do a better job communicating critical information to help the accessibility community make decisions that help them make the most of the opportunities in parks and maximize the enjoyment of their experience in the parks.
The YES member will work with regional office and national park staff to help the NPS improve accessibility communications on NPS.gov and elsewhere. The goal is to facilitate trip planning and maximize the accessibility community’s experience in national parks. The member will research current communications techniques, identify opportunities for improvement, help train staff and implement positive changes, and be a champion for accessibility in the national capital region.
An ideal candidate would be someone who can be a strong advocate for accessibility to lead discussions with park staff, help identify what we need to communicate online and how we need to communicate it, to help park staff identify their roles in accessibility, and help the NPS improve its process for accessibility communications in the National Capital Region and beyond. Our highest goal is to be a pilot for the rest of the NPS and to be an exemplar of best practices such that other regions can follow our lead.
Duties Include:
- Researching and compiling information on national park websites.
- Writing reports and recommendations in a clear, concise, and compelling format.
- Communicating best practices and recommendations to field level staff.
- Drafting content for publication
Benefits:
- Health Care
- Professional Development Opportunities
- Eligible for AmeriCorps Education Award upon completion
- Reasonable Accommodations
- Membership opportunities and affinity spaces
- Opportunity to make a big impact!
Required Skills
- To be a US Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident
- To be between the ages of 18-24, or a Veteran up to the age of 34
- Bachelor’s degree in Communication or Humanities, or related field
- Adaptability and capacity to work in a fluid environment
- Ability to communicate and collaborate in a variety of settings
Required Experience
- Ability to communicate in person and online, via video, chat, or email
- Knowledge of Section 508 principles