Start/End Dates: May 19, 2025 – August 9, 2025 (12 weeks)
Compensation: $768 per week
Medical Insurance: Not provided
Application Due: February 7, 2025

The Latino Heritage Internship Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• Must be a student enrolled in an accredited college with a graduation date after the internship end date.
• No personal vehicle is required for this position.

Position Description: 

Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites seek an intern to research, refine, and deliver bilingual interpretive programs while continuing active outreach efforts with local Latinx community groups.

In 2020, a Latino Heritage Intern at Salem Maritime developed a “Latinx Commitment and Engagement Plan” after collaborating with members of the local Latinx community to identify specific recommendations for improving inclusion at the park. This plan was further refined by Latino Heritage Interns in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

The Latino Heritage Intern will use interpretive themes and essential questions outlined in Salem Maritime’s Foundation Document and Visitor Experience Plan (2020) and Saugus Iron Works’s Foundation Document and Visitor Experience Plan (2022) to research and develop audience-centered interpretive experiences focused on the natural and/or cultural resources at these sites. Potential programs may include historic house tours, maritime programs, nature walks, and tide walks.

The goal of the project is to create new park experiences that appeal to the local Latinx community. In Essex County, where Salem and Saugus are located, 23% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. These programs may be bilingual but will primarily cater to Spanish speakers. This initiative aligns with the 2017 Strategic Plan of Salem Maritime and Saugus National Historic Sites, which prioritizes engaging underrepresented students and groups to expand educational programming.

Throughout the summer, the intern will expand existing programs and build connections within the Latinx community, specifically in El Punto, a predominantly Dominican neighborhood adjacent to Salem Maritime. The intern will collaborate with identified community contacts while establishing new relationships with leaders and organizations in Essex County. They will also represent the park at community-organized events and outreach programs.

Key Project Deliverables:
The DHA-RA internship project deliverables will include:

• Planning, preparing, promoting, and delivering a bilingual (Spanish-English) audience-centered interpretive and educational program at Salem Maritime and/or Saugus Iron Works, presented multiple times.
• Hosting a special outreach event at Salem Maritime NHS featuring community partners, including the North Shore Community Development Coalition.
• Creating written outlines, program supplies and materials, and any external vendor contacts needed for each program developed and presented.
• Capturing best practices for bilingual interpretive/education programs in the living document, Latinx Commitment and Engagement Plan (2020). The intern will present recommendations to the Park Operations Team.

About the Internship Program:
At Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works, working with adult interns is a priority. Since 2018, the parks have hosted LHIP and HBCU interns, continually evaluating and improving efforts to achieve inclusive hiring and program development goals.

The park’s Visitor Experience & Community Engagement staff regularly participate in JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) training and work diligently to create a safe and welcoming environment for all. These internships have significantly impacted the parks by fostering new partnerships and creating inclusive content for online and on-site visitors.

This program is designed to provide young adults with a pathway to employment while serving the diverse communities surrounding each park unit.

Responsibilities:
Coursework or degrees in the following subjects are a plus, but not required: History, Anthropology, Sociology, Biology, Earth Sciences, Communications

Skills:

• Works well with people from a variety of backgrounds.
• Holds themselves accountable for delivering high-quality and timely results.
• Demonstrates thoroughness and attention to detail when performing tasks.
• Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect.
• Clearly and effectively communicates information to groups of all sizes and backgrounds.
• Collaborates effectively with others to achieve shared goals.
• Writes and speaks Spanish fluently.

Interns in this program will receive 480 hours toward Direct Hiring Authority (DHA). See below for more information about DHA.

Direct Hire Authority (DHA)
Direct Hire Authority (DHA) at the successful conclusion of their internship. DHA status enables an agency to hire, after public notice is given, any qualified applicant. A DHA expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" procedures. For more information, please click HERE.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.