• Length and Commitment:  240 hours to be completed within 1 year
• Bluebird Pin (50 hours)
• Supervisor: AWARE Education Team
  
• Application Deadline: Rolling- Available year-round

About the Internship

The Wildlife Education and Public Outreach Internship focuses on delivering engaging educational programs to the public using live ambassador animals. Interns help teach audiences about habitat preservation, wildlife ecology, and peaceful coexistence with native wildlife. Education is one of AWARE’s two core missions and plays a critical role in protecting wildlife by helping people better understand and respect the animals that share their communities.

Interns complete their hours through a combination of training, program support, and outreach activities including:

Required Components

• Minimum 25 hours shadowing or assisting with formal educational programs (event time only)
• Minimum 10 hours participating at festivals or outreach events
• Minimum 5 hours shadowing or assisting with weekly tour hours

Additional Internship Activities

• Preparing ambassador animals for programs and helping unpack and secure animals back into their enclosures after events
• Participating in regularly scheduled animal handling workshops
• Handling practice, glove work, and training sessions with staff
• Shadowing or assisting with public tours and educational presentations
• Delivering mock presentations to staff and volunteers 

What You’ll Do

Through this internship, participants gain experience in:

• Public speaking and educational program delivery
• Communicating wildlife conservation topics to diverse audiences
• Handling and presenting ambassador animals during programs
• Working with a variety of species including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and raptors
• Developing engaging ways to teach about wildlife conservation and coexistence
• Safe animal transport practices

Why Apply?

This internship is perfect for volunteers who want to combine hands-on animal experience with public education. You will gain valuable skills in animal handling, program delivery, and conservation communication while helping AWARE inspire the public about wildlife preservation and coexistence. By the end of the internship, participants are expected to be able to confidently deliver an engaging and informative educational program to the public. Interns who reach this milestone will be invited to continue working with AWARE as volunteer program presenters, delivering educational programs that fit their schedule in exchange for a stipend.

How to Apply

To apply, complete the combined internship application below and select this internship among any other(s) you want to be considered for. The combined application allows you to apply for any of AWARE's internships that require previous experience at AWARE. Because these internships are competitive, we strongly encourage applicants to select and rank several internships they are interested in. If you are not selected for your top choice, you may still be considered for other internships you ranked.