International Institute for
Indigenous Resource Management

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

BACKGROUND

Indian tribes today operate and manage fisheries, forests, mines and agricultural projects. Tribes are working with government agencies on highly complex environmental restoration projects such as environmental restoration of ex-government installation sites and reclamation of abandoned mine sites. Tribes have taken on most of the responsibility for protecting the environment of Indian country, and accordingly, operate pesticide regulation, air quality, water quality, drinking water, hazardous waste and solid waste programs.

In addition, activities that tribes undertake to build their economies and create jobs require a scientific and technical underpinning. Whether the tribe operates cattle feedlots or assembles electronic components, the need for a scientifically and technically astute workforce is paramount.

Mainstream educational institutions and programs are not addressing the tribal need for a scientifically and technically proficient workforce. The American Indian population in the United States now exceeds two million. Although there are over one million college students currently enrolled in two and four year higher education institutions in the United States, fewer than five thousand are American Indian. The drop out rate for American Indian college students is 89%.

To counter this situation, the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management ("Institute") assists Indian tribes and other indigenous peoples build the cadre of scientifically, technically, and culturally competent men and women they require for the sustainable management, development and conservation of their natural resources and the protection of their environment.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The basic philosophy of the Internship program is to develop tribal capacity by developing the tribe's human resource potential. This goal is accomplished by:

Operating internships, fellowships and other educational and training programs to provide scientific and technical training and experience to Indian and other indigenous students, teachers and decision-makers;

Providing Indian and other indigenous students and teachers practical, hands-on experience in resource management, environmental protection, environmental restoration and the like on real, not academic, projects in Indian country;

Using successful Indian and other indigenous professionals as role-models, counselors and mentors; and,

Helping students participate in Indian and other professional forums and otherwise assisting them to build networks with tribal and other indigenous and non-indigenous technical and scientific professionals in industry and government.

FEATURES OF THE INSTITUTE'S INTERNSHIP

Recruitment: The Institute has established excellent working relations with tribal leaders as well as administrators and faculty at the Haskell Indian Nations University, the Fort Belknap College and other tribal or indigenous colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia such as the University of Waikato and Te Whare Wananga O Awanuiarangi. These relationships allow the Institute to identify and recruit promising Indian or indigenous students for the Institute's programs.

Professional development: A key element of the Institute's Internship is the emphasis placed on professional development and professional responsibility. Rather than have the intern write a "what I did during the summer" report, the Institute requires the intern to write a paper for presentation at professional and technical conferences such as Waste Management, Spectrum, or the Geological Society of America. The intern's paper is peer reviewed by mentors, Institute staff and other scientific or technical experts in addition to the paper review performed by conference organizers. Institute staff works with the intern's school or with a tribal college to accredit the internship. Institute staff and mentors are active in a variety of professional and technical associations.

Negotiated program and outcomes: Another important element of the Institute's Internship program is the orientation conducted by Institute staff with the intern and mentors. During the orientation the parties review conditions of participation, overall program priorities, and identify performance and participation expectations and outcomes.

Financial support: Interns in traditional internship programs are often paid a modest stipend which very often fails to cover the intern's transportation, lodging and other expenses. As a result, internships have often been viewed as the exclusive purview of middle- and upper-class students. In order to make its internship opportunities available to all Indian students, including those of modest means, the Institute's program covers the intern's transportation and lodging expenses and pays a stipend which is sufficient to permit the intern to save for school expenses for the forthcoming year.

EVALUATION OF INTERNS:

Evaluation of the Institute's Interns is an ongoing activity to assure a scientifically and technically rigorous and challenging learning experience for the interns; relevance to intern career development and academic needs;and responsiveness to tribal needs for a scientifically, technically and culturally competent workforce. Components of the evaluation include:

	Supervision: The intern's supervisor has day-to-day responsibility for consulting with the intern to: assess the intern's progress; identify impediments to the intern's progress; and identify the additional education or training the intern requires to successfully meet the challenges of the Internship.
	Mentors' assessment: The intern mentors are not supervisors. Their relationship with the interns is more avuncular. Mentors give informal advice, counsel and above all, encouragement. Once a month, the intern, Institute staff and the mentor will meet informally to assess the intern's progress, to discuss and plan the intern's writing assignment
	Intern evaluation: The intern will complete a formal evaluation of the Institute's Internship program. Interns are asked to evaluate and comment on all aspects of their experience including recruitment, selection, mentoring and management, as well as the quality of the Institute's career and academic development programs

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The primary beneficiaries of the Institute's Internship program are the interns. The interns receive college credit for the internship, establish a network of professional, academic and tribal contacts that can help advance their careers, and gain professional experience. However, the Internship is intended to benefit others as well. These benefits include:

	Increasing the pool of scientifically and technically competent professionals available to Indian tribes and other indigenous peoples.
	Providing guidance to the Department of Energy, Department of Defense and other federal agencies on a wide range of tribal perspectives on environmental restoration issues.
	Helping the Department of Energy, Department of Defense and other federal agencies establish partnerships with Indian tribes.

Broadening the scope of scientific and technical conferences and other forums to include tribal perspectives on risk, technology acceptance, and other relevant issues.

	Operating internships, fellowships and other educational and training programs to provide scientific and technical training and experience to Indian and other indigenous students, teachers and decision-makers;
	Providing Indian and other indigenous students and teachers practical, hands-on experience in resource management, environmental protection, environmental restoration and the like on real, not academic, projects in Indian country;
	Using successful Indian and other indigenous professionals as role-models, counselors and mentors; and,
	Helping students participate in Indian and other professional forums and otherwise assisting them to build networks with tribal and other indigenous and non-indigenous technical and scientific professionals in industry and government.

	Recruitment: The Institute has established excellent working relations with tribal leaders as well as administrators and faculty at the Haskell Indian Nations University, the Fort Belknap College and other tribal or indigenous colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia such as the University of Waikato and Te Whare Wananga O Awanuiarangi. These relationships allow the Institute to identify and recruit promising Indian or indigenous students for the Institute's programs.
	Professional development: A key element of the Institute's Internship is the emphasis placed on professional development and professional responsibility. Rather than have the intern write a "what I did during the summer" report, the Institute requires the intern to write a paper for presentation at professional and technical conferences such as Waste Management, Spectrum, or the Geological Society of America. The intern's paper is peer reviewed by mentors, Institute staff and other scientific or technical experts in addition to the paper review performed by conference organizers. Institute staff works with the intern's school or with a tribal college to accredit the internship. Institute staff and mentors are active in a variety of professional and technical associations.
	Negotiated program and outcomes: Another important element of the Institute's Internship program is the orientation conducted by Institute staff with the intern and mentors. During the orientation the parties review conditions of participation, overall program priorities, and identify performance and participation expectations and outcomes.
	Financial support: Interns in traditional internship programs are often paid a modest stipend which very often fails to cover the intern's transportation, lodging and other expenses. As a result, internships have often been viewed as the exclusive purview of middle- and upper-class students. In order to make its internship opportunities available to all Indian students, including those of modest means, the Institute's program covers the intern's transportation and lodging expenses and pays a stipend which is sufficient to permit the intern to save for school expenses for the forthcoming year.