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Internship Opportunity – Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Affairs

Internship Duration: 4 months. 30 hours per week; however, alternative arrangements will be considered for exceptional candidates.

Compensation: CAD 2,800 per month

The CEC’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge & Indigenous Affairs Officer is looking for an intern to assist the CEC in advancing an Indigenous strategy and provide support to the advisory committee, the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Expert Group.

The intern will work under the supervision of Timothy Gull, Traditional Ecological Knowledge & Indigenous Affairs Officer. This 4-month internship will provide a unique experience for personal growth in topics related to Indigenous rights and law, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and environmental policy, including high-level exposure to leading international environmental organizations, by helping Canada, Mexico and the United States better coordinate actions to more effectively protect our shared environment and work collectively to stop or reverse climate change trends, while promoting social and environmental equity.

Eligibility

This internship is only open to Indigenous people. See Application Process below for additional information.

The successful candidate will have one or more of the following competencies:

• Be actively enrolled in a post-secondary academic institution (e.g., college, university, for Bachelors, Masters, PhD, etc.).
• Be a fast learner, organized, independent, self-motivated, and analytical.
• Have a passion for advancing Indigenous self-determination and deconstructing colonial approaches to working with Indigenous peoples.
• Have experience related to issues such as (but not limited to) environmental policy, Indigenous knowledge systems, climate change, conservation, research, public policy, Indigenous/Aboriginal law and international relations.
• Have strong communication skills (written and oral) in English. Spoken Spanish or French is an asset but not mandatory.
• Have good organizational, time-management, and priority-setting skills.
• Have adaptability and flexibility in a dynamic, international, and multicultural environment.
• For in-person candidates: have the legal right to work in Canada either as a Canadian citizen, student in Canada or under a work permit.
• For virtual internships: have access to the Internet and the required hardware (e.g., laptop).

Tasks

The selected candidate will be expected to perform a variety of short-term and quick-turn-around assignments, research tasks, and other activities, for example:

1. Support the internal engagement process and drafting for developing Indigenous policy for the CEC (e.g., Indigenous strategy, protocol for working with Indigenous peoples).
2. Support the management and secretariat functions for the CEC’s TEK Expert Group.
3. Support the implementation of TEK Expert Group projects and initiatives.
4. Monitor and track developments in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), Indigenous affairs, and related environmental policy in North America by conducting regular environmental scans and news research.
5. Assist with advising other CEC units on their approaches to working with Indigenous peoples and TEK. 

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit their CV/résumé, along with a brief cover letter explaining which Indigenous nation/tribe and community they are from or tied to and why they think they’d make a great fit for this position, to: TEKinternship@cec.org

No phone calls or email message inquiries will be accepted.

We appreciate your interest in the CEC and wish to inform you that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  All résumés/CVs will be kept on file for a six-month period and taken into consideration for any suitable vacancies during that time.

Download RFP