Indigenous Internship Program

Discover Clear Seas’ Indigenous Internship Program: An initiative to conduct inclusive maritime-related research that integrates Traditional Knowledge and builds research capacity within Indigenous communities.

A program led by you to fit into your life, culture, and learning journey

Community first. That’s the philosophy behind providing Indigenous students with an opportunity to work on maritime-related issues that are important to Indigenous communities.

Whether it’s understanding and conserving marine life, applying a medicine wheel approach to the well-being of communities affected by marine shipping, or mitigating the effects of invasive species on traditional food sources, this program will provide you with a unique opportunity for learning, with mentorship in many capacities.

Learn more about the program from Sarah Thomas, Clear Seas’ Director of Indigenous Programs:

The opportunity

The program offers a 4 to 6 months, hands-on, paid part-time learning and developmental experience that will:

  • Allow you to mobilize your knowledge and passion for research
  • Develop your skills as you address a key maritime-related research topic of importance to an Indigenous community
  • Acquire knowledge and build meaningful relationships with communities, mentors, and fellow interns
  • Make a real difference in the state of research around sustainable marine shipping in Canada

Indigenous post-secondary students and non-academic learners from across Canada are invited to apply. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and new internships can start any time.

Apply Now

Voices of the program: Meet the interns from the 2021 cohort

Learn more about the interns’ projects, experiences, and takeaways from the 2021 Internship Program, here.

Cheyenne Williams

“I arrived in the role of this internship as an Indigenous woman seeking to work with nearby nations toward food sovereignty, food sustainability and to support the resurgence of land and marine-based learning. What drives me in all the work I do is a desire to engage with and maintain Traditional Ecological Knowledge.”

— Cheyenne Williams
Quw’utsun Tribes, Coast Salish territory
Rayne Boyko

“As a young Indigenous woman working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, this research internship was a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field. Being a part of this invasive species research on Haida Gwaii, has inspired me to continue to challenge the colonial ways of knowing which dominate the field and the systematic barriers that affect and silence Indigenous peoples.”

— K’aayhldaa Xyaalaas (Rayne Boyko)
Haida Gwaii
Charity Champagne

“When I was offered the opportunity to learn and do research with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation I chose to examine the impacts of Marine Shipping in the Burrard Inlet on the health and well-being of the Tsleil-Waututh people […] I hope to continue this work over the upcoming summer, […] with the intention of grounding and deepening the project, and to eventually use it to bridge the innermost circle of community wisdom, to the outermost circle of policy change and sustainability.”

— Charity Champagne
Métis and Cree

Commonly asked questions about Clear Seas’ Indigenous internship program

About Clear Seas’ Indigenous internship program

The Indigenous Internship Program was developed and launched in 2021, as part of Clear Seas’ mandate to conduct inclusive maritime-related research that considers Traditional Knowledge and builds research capacity within Indigenous communities. The program aims to develop partnerships with Indigenous communities across Canada by collaborating on research projects of mutual interest. This initiative is conducted in collaboration with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Mitacs – a not-for-profit organization that drives innovation through partnerships.

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