ITEK Internships
Paid internship opportunities for Native American adults and BIPOC in the Portland area. Online ApplicationThe leadership of Native American communities and other BIPOC professionals in the environmental sector is dynamic and growing!
Wisdom of the Elders is proud to offer paid internship opportunities that give environmental education, job skills and career pathway support to people who want to work in the environmental sector.
We focus on environmental restoration and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) specific to our staff and interns. The program is 12 weeks long, every Spring and Fall.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we will meet online and in person each week to gain hands-on experience in the field with partner organizations. If covid is a concern, we ask all participants to respect social distancing protocols, mask up, wash their hands regularly, disinfect tools, and keep each other safe when meeting in person. Each Wednesday will be a class day in NE Portland, where WOTE TEK Instructor, Dawn Lowe (Hawaiian, Apache, Mohawk), will hold space for us all to learn together about:
- Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Native peoples (also known as ITEK)
- Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) -related concepts
- Native American cultural arts and medicinal/edible plants
Out of concern for Covid-19, we ask everyone to use public transportation, secure a ride, or have a driver’s license and vehicle to get to the natural area work sites. We ask all participants to respect social distancing protocols, mask up and keep each other safe when meeting in person
More WWD Details
Get paid $19/hr, up to 200hrs
For help with Transportation or technology (TriMet passes/borrowed tablets, etc), please send questions to adrienne@wisdomoftheelders.org
In the past, some of the knowledge or practices we share in these spaces were forcibly withheld from Native peoples. To protect Native peoples and cultures, Wisdom of the Elders will never share any sacred or secret knowledge, family harvest sites, or stories that are not ours or that are inappropriate to share with just anyone. We are not medical people and we do not train others in that way.
After graduation, WWD graduates can:
- Receive assistance in future applications to work or school opportunities that will benefit your career pathway
- Apply for employment with our WWD, LLC Habitat Restoration contract firm in Portland as Field or Garden Technician
- Explore employment options with our partner organizations when they arise with assistance from Wisdom staff
- Apply for future job positions that open up at Wisdom of the Elders 501(c)3 non-profit
THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF OUR ELDERS, COMMUNITY, PARTNERS, GUEST EDUCATORS, AND WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT GENEROUS FUNDS FROM OREGON METRO, EAST MULTNOMAH SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT, MEYER MEMORIAL TRUST AND 99 GIRLFRIENDS.
Online Application
Apply today with this online survey
