Winter 2019 PAID SUMMER 2019 INTERNSHIP PROGRAM at WAVE HILL (seven weeks, stipends, FREE college credit possible)

https://www.wavehill.org/education/forest-project/

The Forest Project is open to current sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The seven-week program meets Mondays through Fridays from June 27th- August 20th, 2019. 

Interns work in small, supervised crews to help restore woodland areas at Wave Hill. The application deadline for this program is March 17^th, 2019. For more information and the online application please go to http://www.wavehill.org/education/forest-project/.

Through our partnership with the college of Mount Saint Vincent, we offer two credit bearing college courses: Restoration of NYC's Natural Areas and Mapping NYC’s Urban Environment: An Intro to GIS. WERM students take both courses their first summer, while Forest Project interns take one. Students do not pay tuition!

We are looking for students who excel in unique learning settings like ours. While we do ask for an applicant’s transcript, we encourage all students, regardless of academic achievement, to apply if they demonstrate interest and enthusiasm. Applicants must be organized, dependable, self-motivated and willing to make the necessary time commitment.

Learn & Earn

Spend an unforgettable summer working as part of a small crew protecting and improving Wave Hill’s woodlands, enjoying the outdoors, learning about restoration ecology and making friends, all while getting paid and earning college credit.

The 2019 Forest Project runs from June 27 to August 20.

Required family orientation and intern-training sessions will take place during the last two weeks of June. These sessions will not conflict with school attendance.

Two-Step Application Process

There are two steps to applying for this program.

1. First, complete Wave Hill’s application, which includes essay questions. The application can be found here.
2. Then apply to New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) lottery. In order for your Forest Project application to be considered, you must choose Children’s Aid, Wave Hill’s partner, as your provider when you apply to SYEP. SYEP has not yet provided a link to their application. Stay tuned!  

Please note:

• As long as your SYEP application lists Children’s Aid as your provider, then acceptance in our Forest Project program will not depend on being selected through SYEP’s lottery.  
• If you are selected into SYEP through its lottery, you are not guaranteed acceptance in our Forest Project program. If you do not get accepted into our program, Children’s Aid may be able to place you elsewhere.

*** Important: You can only apply to SYEP through one provider. Once you submit your application, your choice of provider cannot be changed. So please be careful to choose Children’s Aid as your provider when you fill out SYEP’s application.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in the 10th, 11th or 12th grade
• Interested in urban environmental issues
• Strong academic record, especially in the sciences
• Ready for rigorous fieldwork and academic study
• Available Monday through Friday, from 9AM to 5PM

Compensation

• First-year interns earn approximately $2,275 for the entire summer.
• Second-year interns earn approximately $2,375 for the entire summer.

Program Description  

Now going into its 39th year, the Forest Project continues to be one of Wave Hill’s signature programs. This paid summer internship gives high school students an unparalleled opportunity to learn about ecology in an urban setting. Throughout the summer, interns gain hands-on field experience and participate in a dynamic, field-based course. Guest speakers, field trips and special projects contribute to an immersive and rewarding summer. The work is demanding but satisfying—building and maintaining woodland trails, removing invasive plant species, shoring up eroded slopes and helping to document the process of restoring the disturbed woodland toward a more balanced state. Team-building activities help create a strong sense of community and connection both for fellow interns and for the project's collective mission. 

Field Work

Under the direction of an experienced crew leader, interns will be assigned a small crew and work site where they can implement their own plans for trail maintenance, erosion control, invasive removal and native species plantings. As interns gain confidence with basic restoration skills and problem solving as a team, they take ownership over their work sites.  

LEARN MORE ABOUT FIELD WORK FOR THE FOREST PROJECT (PDF)

Field-based Coursework

All interns take one course: first-year interns take Restoration of NYC's Natural Areas; second-year interns take Mapping NYC's Urban Environment: An Intro to GIS. The coursework and the field work are complementary; both are integrated to create a meaningful and practical learning experience. Interns also work together on group projects involving data collection and field research related to their work sites. These projects make up a significant portion of the final course grade. Students receive three college credits for successful completion of either course through the College of Mount Saint Vincent.