The New York Climate Exchange Summer 2024 Internship Program
The New York Climate Exchange - UNDERGRADUATE 2024 Summer Internship Program
Overview of The New York Climate Exchange
The New York Climate Exchange (The Exchange) is a new not-for-profit climate solutions center designed to build community, foster collaboration, advance climate knowledge, and empower marginalized communities through cross-disciplinary networking, impactful programming, and cutting-edge facilities. While The Exchange will have a physical presence on Governors Island, its spirit and influence will extend beyond the island into New York City and across the country and world. Our diverse coalition of partners—committed and prepared to collectively disrupt the status quo—incorporates local and global perspectives on climate change from academia, the private sector, and community-level organizations. As the first of its kind, The Exchange will unlock integrated and scalable approaches to sustainability, ultimately serving as a global model for sustainable positive change.
Program Overview
The Exchange seeks to recruit an inaugural cohort of undergraduate interns for Summer 2024. Interns will:
- Conduct project-based work with one of The Exchange’s non-profit community partners based in New York City. Participating partners include Solar One, Beam Center, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Green City Force, and Harvestworks.
- Participate in educational and professional skills development programming, hosted by The Exchange in collaboration with partners that may include Georgia Institute of Technology, New York University, Pace University, and Stony Brook University.
- Attend field trips to other members of The Exchange’s community partner network, which will include educational and hands-on engagement.
- Deliver a cohort-wide capstone project to present at a final showcase for the cohort, participating non-profits and academic partners, and external visitors.
The role is full-time from June 10, 2024 until August 9, 2024. Applicants should expect to work in-person in the New York City area.
Program Mission
The Exchange’s Summer 2024 internship program will mobilize a diverse cohort of cross-disciplinary students from various universities around community-based climate work in New York City. Maximizing exposure to climate non-profits and project-based learning, the program will challenge interns to expand and assess their perspective on addressing climate issues at the community level.
Specifically, the cohort's work will revolve around three topics:
- Citizen Science: Connecting climate research and the public, encouraging broad-based participation in scientific discovery
- Climate Literacy: Promoting knowledge of climate change, its impacts, and proposed solutions in pursuit of an informed society
- Resilience: Empowering individuals, communities, and ecosystems to recover and adapt to the impacts of climate change
Community Partner Work
The Exchange will match each intern with a non-profit host based on their experience and interest. Interns will work with the non-profit 4 days per week (Monday-Thursday). This work is expected to be in-person but may have a virtual component depending on the host’s working arrangement. Participating non-profits include Solar One, Beam Center, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Green City Force, and Harvestworks. Interns will also engage with other Exchange non-profit community partners through occasional field trips and will learn from the experiences of fellow cohort members who have been paired with other non-profit organizations. Internship activities that fall outside the scope of the interns’ non-profit project work will occur on Fridays.
Paired with a non-profit host, each intern will have the opportunity to engage in one of the following roles across one of the following dimensions of climate. The Exchange will work alongside selected interns to determine the placement that makes sense for them.
Available roles:
- Events production and management
- Finance and accounting
- Marketing and communications
- Operations
- Program administration and management
Climate dimensions:
- Art
- K-12 education
- Solar
- Workforce development
Educational and Professional Skills Development Programming
Throughout the summer, The Exchange will host educational and professional skills development programming for the full intern cohort. Sessions will be conducted in collaboration with Exchange partners that may include Georgia Institute of Technology, New York University, Pace University, and Stony Brook University. Topics will span climate education, career development, and skills training. These sessions will occur on Fridays, when interns are not on-site with their non-profit hosts.
The internship capstone project will also support educational and professional skills development opportunities for the cohort. Additional information about the capstone will be shared as the program nears.
Intern Cohort
The Summer 2024 intern cohort will consist e of approximately 10 undergraduate students total, representing students from the following universities: City University of New York, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, New York University, Pace University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Stony Brook University. Interns will work individually for 4 days per week (Monday-Thursday) but come together on Fridays for educational and professional skills development opportunities. In some instances, multiple interns from the cohort may be placed at the same non-profit organization for their Monday-Thursday work.
Payment
This position will be funded at $19 per hour by Pace University under the Community Impact Funded Internship Program.
Housing and Travel
As needed, The Exchange will sponsor intern housing in Lower Manhattan and travel to NYC for non-local interns. These accommodations will be determined on an individual basis. Accommodation needs will not influence the intern selection process.
Responsibilities
- Support the assigned community partner as agreed upon between the intern, the partner, and The Exchange.
- Participate in educational and professional skills development programming through The Exchange with the cohort.
- Complete a topic-based capstone project for The Exchange in partnership with the cohort and community partner.
- Visit other community partner sites to learn about their work. Interns may have opportunities to work for partners they are not assigned to in limited capacities.
Qualifications
- A strong academic record in major area of study and good academic standing at home institution. Major area of study should be in a relevant field such as environmental science, public policy, data analysis, ecology, social/environmental justice, education, art, marketing and communications, or urban planning.
- Currently enrolled sophomore or junior at Pace University with graduation date of DEC 2024 or later (Rising junior or senior who completed at least 2 years of undergraduate education or equivalent by start of program).
- Must have completed the program requirements for one of the following programs: ASPIRE, INSPIRE, or BUS 255.
- Demonstrated interest in climate change and environmental issues. Passion for community-based impact.
NOT ELIGIBLE YET?
- Domestic Students: Complete the ASPIRE Program requirements
- International Students: Complete the INSPIRE Program requirements
Please note: Eligibility is not immediate – once assignments are graded, you will be eligible to apply next business day.
The New York Climate Exchange 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, height, weight, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
Note: Research indicates that men tend to apply for jobs when they meet just 60% of the criteria, while women and people from other marginalized groups only apply if they are a 100% match. If you are passionate about The Exchange mission and think you have what it takes to be successful in this internship, please apply. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.