Indigenous Internship Program

The Indigenous Internship Program is an initiative to facilitate inclusive Indigenous-led knowledge sharing that prioritizes Indigenous community concerns, incorporates Traditional Knowledge, and builds research capacity within Indigenous communities. Guided by local cultural and protocol teachings, this program is designed to break down barriers in the institutional research framework on maritime-related issues. Learn more about the opportunity, program benefits, and application process below.

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’ COO:

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
  • Explore potential careers through optional learning opportunities provided by Clear Seas staff and network experts
  • Make a real difference in the state of research around sustainable marine shipping in Canada

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Eligibility and Program Dates

  • No academic requirement or research experience necessary
  • Must be a Canadian citizen and 19+ years to apply
  • All Indigenous learners welcome
  • The program runs twice a year depending on capacity
  • The program start dates are May and November
  • Program intake closes 2 months before the program start date

Program Overview

  • Internship is designed to be remote with additional opportunities for on-the-land learning with your community partner.
  • Projects are completed in 4 to 6 months with opportunities to extend.
  • Conduct research on topics of your choice related to the marine ecosphere, environmental issues, and Indigenous priorities. Clear Seas advisors can help you refine your research ideas.
  • Utilize diverse ways of knowing and doing throughout your research project such as Traditional Knowledge, on-the land practices, literature reviews, data analyses, and geographic information systems. If there is a practice you want to learn, let your mentor know and we can build those skills.
  • Be partnered with a dedicated Clear Seas staff mentor to support you throughout your project length.
  • Connect and learn from experts, knowledge keepers, academic advisors, and industry connections to build a network of meaningful long-term relationships.
  • Final projects can be anything from videos, workshops, and presentations to articles, environmental data scans, maps, or comprehensive reports. Ultimately, the internships are a process, not an outcome.
  • Projects abide by OCAP® principles ensuring your data and the partnered community’s data is protected.
  • Receive $10,000 in research stipends with additional funding to support training, travel, materials, and honorariums.
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Explore the Projects

Meet the Cohorts

Dive into Articles

Watch the Action

Discover the Featured

  • 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

Start by going to our online application form and telling us about yourself and the type of project you are interested in. Upon receiving this, we’ll contact you for next steps.

Interns can reside in any part of Canada and may or may not be based on their Nations’ traditional territories. You can do on-site research in a community and work with advisors online.

The program has been set up at no cost to applicants. Interns will receive a payment of $10,000 for each 4–6 month internship project. Additional funding to support training, travel, or conference attendance is available.

Ultimately, it’s your choice. You can conduct research or answer a question about marine shipping and its impact on the environment or communities. Examples of prior research have included such topics as shipping risk, invasive species, clam gardens and oil pollution. Advisors will be available to help you scope the project and make connections with potential partners.

We can meet with you to discuss research topics of interest. Fill out an application form to get started.

Your project does not have to be a traditional research project. You could include Traditional Knowledge, storytelling, on-the-land practices, literature reviews, comparative studies, or geographic information systems. It is up to you.

Past interns have ended their internships with a presentation, a workshop, a paper, a video, an environmental data scan, or an article on what you’ve learned and will continue to learn. Ultimately, internships are a process, not an outcome. The work that you do is centered on furthering your learning journey and contributing positive capacity to your community.

The data and research collected by you belong to you and your partnered community. Clear Seas holds no ownership and will only share the information as determined by you and your community. A data sharing agreement will be developed and signed between you, the Indigenous community, Clear Seas and any other partners.

You can expect to be contacted by a member of the Indigenous Programs team within one week of submitting your application.

If your community would like to propose a project or if you would like to support an intern, please contact contact the Program Lead (contact details below).

We welcome maritime connections and relevant project opportunities for our interns. If you have a project idea or if you would like to support an intern throughout their project, contact the Program Lead (contact details below).

Does your community want to support an internship?

Contact Stephanie Hurlburt, Indigenous Program Lead: stephanie.hurlburt@clearseas.org

Clear Seas team member Stephanie Hurlburt

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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