What is ECYC?

Emerson Collective Youth Collaborative is not just an internship, it is an experience. In addition to our internships at Emerson Collective, we also support internships with our partners at George Washington University, National Geographic Society, and Smithsonian Institution. All internships provide young leaders with meaningful and enriching experiences, programming, and alumni engagement opportunities that will strengthen their understanding and commitment to social justice, community development, and leadership. Through collaboration, we can leverage the resources of each organization and create positive change in the communities where we live and work.

What can I expect?

ECYC coordinates robust programming, networking, and extracurricular opportunities designed to foster peer and professional connections. Through collaboration and connectivity, each partner organization brings a powerful perspective that shapes personal and professional development during the internship experience and through alumni engagement. We place each young leader in an internship alongside immersive learning sessions and enrichment opportunities across the broader ECYC. By joining ECYC, you commit to learning and engaging with fellow interns, leaders, mentors, and teams from across partner organizations.

Please explore the information below to learn more about the ECYC internship opportunities at Emerson Collective, George Washington University, National Geographic Society and Smithsonian Institution, respectively. We look forward to receiving your application.

Note: All ECYC Organizations have a unique application process. You may apply to work with just one or all of the organizations listed. Please review each application to ensure that you are cognizant of their respective parameters and are committed to their scope of work.

As always, the health and safety of our team members is our top priority. Currently, we plan to proceed with the 2022 summer internship program in person. We will continue monitoring COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions regularly and update our programming accordingly.

Key Dates

Below are key dates for Emerson Collective, George Washington University, and Smithsonian Institution internships. Please see the National Geographic Society section for their timeline.

Start and end dates of the internship are not flexible and applicants should be able to work within this timeframe.

• December 15th - February 4th: Internship applications accepted.
• February 28th - March 18th: Interview period*
• April 22nd: Deadline for students to accept offers
• June 13th: Internship program begins
• August 5th: Internship program concludes

*EC Venture Investing Internships will conclude on December 17th

*Please note that not all applicants will be selected for interviews

Compensation

This is a paid internship that offers both housing and travel stipends.

Internships

Emerson Collective is an organization dedicated to creating pathways to opportunity so people can live to their full potential. We center our work on education, immigration reform, the environment, health, with justice as our goal. We use a wide range of tools and strategies — partnering with entrepreneurs and experts, makers and policymakers, advocates, and creatives — to build and execute innovative solutions that will spur change and promote equality.

Interns for the EC Internship will work out of the Emerson Collective offices in Palo Alto, California or Washington, D.C., with some exceptions for a small number of teams.

Placement locations will be determined by the internship, and we are unable to accommodate adjustments. Please note that the EC Internship is a part of the larger ECYC cohort.

Interns work across teams on a wide range of issues. Summer interns will also participate in weekly programming designed to develop leadership capacity and build professional networks.

Partnership Organizations

The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at George Washington University is part of the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement. The Nashman Center’s mission is to integrate civic engagement into GW’s educational work. We promote equity and active citizenship in a diverse democracy, focus GW’s resources to address community needs through reciprocal partnerships beyond the campus, and enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship at GW. We are GW’s central office for partnerships with the local D.C. community and have been in partnership with D.C. Public Schools and many nonprofits for many years, offering tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment programs. Our programs support day-to-day needs while working to address systemic issues.

Interns will work in partnership with D.C. Public Schools this summer to support a middle school SummerTrek Changemakers program in which the middle schoolers learn about an issue in their community such as health, conflict, climate change, or safety, and create a real-world project to address the issue as it manifests in their school or community. College students will be trained and will facilitate this summer program. We expect interns to facilitate learning using an established curriculum that offers opportunities to create some additional learning opportunities for the middle school students.

Please Note: If you would like to apply for a summer internship with George Washington University, you must submit an application on the George Washington University Careers Page.

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex with the responsibility to help people understand the complexity and the nuances of our history. Museums and cultural organizations have a social justice role to play and have an opportunity to not only become community centers, but to be at the center of their community, helping people grapple with the challenges we all face. The Smithsonian and its network of Smithsonian Affiliates know it is crucially important to have diversity — not just of race or ethnicity — but of ideas to be organizations of transformation to strengthen and change the world we live in. An internship with the Smithsonian and its Affiliates offers the opportunity for students of all majors to use their educational focus as a lens to share their social justice passion. This summer, see how museums and cultural organizations are local changemakers, and explore new ways to bring equitable educational resources to communities across the U.S.

An internship with the Smithsonian includes hybrid opportunities with Smithsonian Affiliate organizations across the U.S. (see list of locations) and in-person opportunities with the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Students will work together in small teams to create digital educational resources on the Smithsonian Learning Lab platform that help dive deeper into complex issues such as race and social justice, climate change, women’s history, community and public health, and the changing American narrative.

Interns will have access to the breadth and depth of Smithsonian and Affiliate resources, meet with Smithsonian leaders, and gain an understanding of how museums and cultural organizations are vital in providing platforms to discuss, understand, and solve some of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Interns will also participate in enrichment programming with Emerson Collective, designed to develop leadership capacity and build professional networks.

If you would like to apply for a summer internship with Smithsonian Institution, you must apply directly through Smithsonian Affiliations.

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, the Society has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. We fund projects that help protect the ocean, conserve critical landscapes, promote the protection of wildlife, deepen our understanding of human history and cultures, and develop cutting-edge solutions to our planet’s most pressing challenges.

Internship experiences at the National Geographic Society span eight weeks during the summer where interns gain professional and personal experiences that build lasting connections with National Geographic Explorers, educators, storytellers and staff. The intern cohorts will work together in a variety of roles across the Society, on teams including Education, Science and Innovation, Communications and Strategic Insights and Initiatives. Throughout their internship, interns will engage in collaborative work across teams and contribute to key programmatic initiatives. They will gain greater knowledge in areas such as research, project management support, or synthesizing and reviewing materials and data. Full job descriptions can be found on the Society website.

Below are key dates for National Geographic internship opportunities.

Start and end dates of the internship are not flexible and applicants should be able to work within this time frame.

• January 17th - February 28th: Internship applications accepted.
• March 1st - April 6th: Interview period*
• April 9th: Deadline for students to accept offers
• June 13th: Internship program begins
• August 5th: Internship program concludes

*Please note that not all applicants will be selected for interviews

Please Note: If you would like to apply for a summer internship with National Geographic Society, you must submit an application on the Society’s Internship Page.

Elemental Excelerator is on a mission to redesign the systems at the root of climate change. We do this by funding startups in order to help them deploy their technology in communities around the world. Since 2009, Elemental has invested in over 100 growth-stage companies and celebrated more than a dozen exits, funded more than 70 technology projects, and built a platform for scaling equitable, market-driven solutions to climate change.

Elemental Excelerator, in partnership with leadership development organizations CELI and FutureMap, host a summer internship program, EDICT (Empowering Diversity in Clean Tech), a 10-week paid internship program designed to place and support individuals from underrepresented backgrounds at one of our ecosystem partner companies.

Interns will walk away with a new group of committed peers that they will have built relationships with over the summer, and access to a new supportive network as they navigate a career in the climate sector.

If interested in this program, please visit our page in early January 2022 for more details on how to apply.

Emerson Collective Youth Collaborative Summer Internship FAQs

This FAQ is for the broader Emerson Collective Youth Collaborative (ECYC) program and answers questions pertaining to internships with Emerson Collective, Elemental Excelerator, George Washington University, National Geographic Society, and Smithsonian Institution.

What should we know about COVID-19 and vaccine requirements?

As always, the health and safety of our team is our top priority. Currently, we plan to proceed with the 2022 summer internship program in person. We will continue monitoring COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions regularly and update our programming accordingly.

To work from an EC office, you must be fully vaccinated, test according to our protocols, and follow our safety precautions.

• Fully vaccinated means you have received your final dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, and any boosters as recommended by your healthcare provider in accordance with CDC guidance on boosters.
• Any interns who are not fully vaccinated may work remotely if feasible, as decided by EC.

Are all ECYC organizations using the same application, selection, and interview timeline?

Each organization has a unique timeline. Please look at the timelines above for the specific organization you are interested in. You should review each application and the organization's expectations to determine which positions are the best fit for you. Note all timelines are subject to minor changes, and we will communicate any adjustments accordingly.

Am I allowed to apply and interview for an internship with multiple organizations?

Yes. You are invited to apply for a summer internship position at each ECYC organization. You are also welcome to participate in all interview opportunities that you are offered, though you may only accept one internship.

How do I apply for an internship with each organization?

The applications for each of the ECYC partner organizations are linked above. You must complete an application for each organization that you are applying for.

Emerson Collective Summer Internship FAQs

This FAQ is for the Emerson Collective Summer internship program, specifically.

Am I allowed to edit my application after it has been submitted?

Once submitted, your application is final, and we are unable to make any changes.

Am I allowed to submit intern applications to multiple departments within Emerson Collective?

While you are encouraged to apply to multiple opportunities across the broader ECYC (National Geographic, Elemental Excelerator, Smithsonian Institution, and George Washington University), you are only permitted to apply to one position at Emerson Collective.

Can I apply to ECYC if I have already been an intern at one of the organizations?

For selection purposes, interns are welcome to reapply a second year to the ECYC program but we encourage you to apply to a new partner organization. It is unlikely that we will select a returning intern for the same program as the content is very similar and we believe it is important for you to continue to grow and develop your networks.

Do my references need to submit a letter of recommendation on my behalf?

If you are selected for an interview and/or a summer internship position at Emerson Collective, hiring teams may choose to reach out to your references. Your references will not be asked to submit a letter of recommendation. Please note if your references are contacted, this does not indicate you have been selected for an ECYC internship position. You will be notified by the hiring team when a final decision is made.

Do I need to submit a cover letter?

Emerson Collective internships do not require a cover letter. The other ECYC organizations have different requirements; please carefully review application requirements for each application you submit to ensure they are complete.

How will I know if I am selected for an interview?

A team member from Emerson Collective will reach out to you to request an interview. Please note, due to the high volume of responses not all applicants will be selected for an interview.

Is it possible I would be interviewed more than once?

Yes. Given the high volume of applicants, some teams conduct multiple rounds of interviews.

Should I apply if I am a rising freshman in college?

While we do not accept applications from rising freshmen, we encourage you to apply later in your college career. We welcome applications from rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Should I apply if I am a graduating senior in college?

If you are a graduating senior, we encourage you to check the Emerson Collective LinkedIn for job opportunities. Our internships are open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Should I apply if I am currently attending graduate school?

Current law school students may apply for internships with the Legal Team. Graduate students that are pursuing a career in marketing may apply for internships with the Brand Creative Studio Team.

I have a question that is not answered in the FAQs. Who should I contact?

Email us at internship@emersoncollective.com. Given the high volume of inquiries we receive, we will do our best to respond within 2 business days.