Overview
Title: Interpretation Intern
Location: C&O Canal National Historical Park, Potomac, MD
Positions Available: 3 Internships
Dates: 5/15/2024 – 11/8/2024 (runs on a Wednesday – Sunday schedule)
Pay Rate: $650/week ($400/stipend + $250/housing allowance)
Status: This is a full-time, temporary 900 hour AmeriCorps National Service position.
Contact: Questions? Email [email protected]
Appalachian Conservation Corps:
Our Individual Placement program works to connect young people to conservation service work across Appalachia and neighboring communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, DC, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. ACC is a program of Conservation Legacy, a nationwide network of conservation organizations.
Individual Placements gain hands-on experience at their placement site, and ACC supports them through their term, as well as provides a variety of benefits to help them succeed in achieving their career goals. ACC welcomes national applicants but also emphasizes the engagement of local individuals who represent their communities.
Position Summary:
Through interpretation and visitor services, the intern will assist with fulfilling the preservation mission of the National Park Service and the C&O Canal National Historical Park by providing relevant and provocative audience-centered experiences through a wide variety of interpretive and educational programming services.
The C&O Canal National Historical Park receives approximately 5 million visitors a year. To maintain relevancy, the C&O Canal must engage new and diverse audiences. To achieve this, the C&O Canal will recruit an intern to engage diverse audiences with 21st century interpretive methods including living history programming. Traditional interpretive practices are becoming less effective at providing enjoyment and connections for audiences, while social, technological, and demographic changes provide a demand and opportunity for developing skills for 21st century citizenry through continuous growth and exploration. Utilizing the park’s primary interpretive themes, the interns will develop new 21st century interpretive and visitor use programs that incorporate the replica Charles F. Mercer canal boat, historic Great Falls Tavern, and adjacent scenic landmarks such as the Great Falls on the nearby Potomac River.
The intern will promote a closer relationship between the park and the large visitor community through a wide variety of interpretive and visitor use engagement methods. This includes staffing an indoor Visitor Center, informal roving in areas of the park with high potential for visitor contact, and through popular formal programming. The intern’s job responsibilities will increase visitor understanding of the organization’s mission which in turn ensures environmental protection of the park’s unique cultural and natural resources.
Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Public speaking experience
Basic first aid/CPR/AED certification
Enjoys working as a member of the team
Interest and comfort working with animals (specifically mules)
Outgoing and enjoys engaging people in an active manner
Excellent problem-solving skills
Interest in subjects like History, Biology, Communications, Drama, or similar
Required Skills:
General Qualifications:
To qualify for this AmeriCorps position, you must be between the ages of 18 and 30, and a US citizen that has received a high school diploma or GED. All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry and federal criminal background check. Must be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award. Must have a valid driver’s license.
About Appalachian Conservation Corps
Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) works to connect young people to critical conservation service work across Appalachia and neighboring communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, DC, and Pennsylvania. As a corps program, ACC partners with public land managers to identify, plan, and complete projects that improve public access, habitat quality, and economic development. ACC is a program of Conservation Legacy, a nationwide network of conservation service organizations. Our programs focus on service, place-based learning, life skills development, appreciation of diversity, civic responsibility, and career development. ACC also provides an opportunity for members to learn about the local environment and issues affecting it and introduces individuals to recreation and resource management careers. ACC welcomes national applicants, but also emphasizes the engagement of local individuals who represent the communities in which they serve.
