LINK 2.0:
Overview
https://www.greatoldbroads.org/
LINK 2.0 is an extension of the LINK program that allows seniors to complete another internship after they've done their original LINK internship during junior year. The LINK 2.0 internship takes the place of a class, and students are required to complete 60 hours with a local organization/business.
I did my LINK 2.0 internship at Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a grassroots-based nonprofit organization led by women and focused on the conservation of wild places. Broads has been around for 30 years, and they frequently collaborate with other well-known conservation organizations such as The Wilderness Society, The Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity. The organization is made up of "Broadbands" which are local chapters located in nearly 40 states that undertake projects to protect public lands, spread the word about the benefits of wild places, and engage in activism at the community, state, and federal levels. I interned with the Grassroots Leadership Director, Lisa Pool, who supports the leaders of Broadbands around the country (visit https://www.greatoldbroads.org/our-staff/ to learn more about Lisa).
LINK 2.0 is an extension of the LINK program that allows seniors to complete another internship after they've done their original LINK internship during junior year. The LINK 2.0 internship takes the place of a class, and students are required to complete 60 hours with a local organization/business.
I did my LINK 2.0 internship at Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a grassroots-based nonprofit organization led by women and focused on the conservation of wild places. Broads has been around for 30 years, and they frequently collaborate with other well-known conservation organizations such as The Wilderness Society, The Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity. The organization is made up of "Broadbands" which are local chapters located in nearly 40 states that undertake projects to protect public lands, spread the word about the benefits of wild places, and engage in activism at the community, state, and federal levels. I interned with the Grassroots Leadership Director, Lisa Pool, who supports the leaders of Broadbands around the country (visit https://www.greatoldbroads.org/our-staff/ to learn more about Lisa).
My Project
My work at Broads fell into two categories:
- I spent about 1/3 of my time researching legislation related to Broads' work. I combed through databases of bills introduced during the 116th Congress, and compiled information into a tracking document for review by another member of the Broads team, the Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator. She will use the information I found to determine which bills should be supported (or not supported) and tracked by Broads.
- The other 2/3 of my time were occupied by a large interview project. I emailed 29 Broadband leaders and arranged 30-minute Zoom interviews with 11 of them. Then, I recorded our interviews and documented leaders' answers to my questions in a tracking spreadsheet. This information will be used by Broads when they need quotes from leaders for promotional materials, and it will also be used as a way to track the personal stories and experiences of the people involved in their organization.
Reflection
I absolutely loved my internship at Great Old Broads for Wilderness! My first LINK internship was within the government, at the US House of Representatives. So, for my LINK 2.0, I was searching for a local nonprofit that would give me some experience in non-governmental organizations. And, as I’ve grown up playing in the great Western outdoors, I was hoping to work with an organization that works on conservation. I was very fortunate to come into contact with Lisa and Broads as it is a unique, empowering and important organization.
Throughout my internship, I had to utilize and hone my interpersonal skills. As I met with members of the Broads staff and interviewed leaders, I noticed that I was very comfortable interacting with all these people and I was able to develop relationships and establish trust. So, my internship revealed that one of my strengths is interpersonal connection and that I have strong people skills. I am very proud of my contributions to Broads, and I consider the work from both of my projects to be accomplishments. I think I helped the organization in a meaningful way.
The main challenge that I encountered during my internship was time! As I reflect on my senior year in various realms, I’ve noticed that time and having a too-full schedule have been recurring themes. I had to complete 60 hours of my internship, and since I began at Spring Break (not the beginning of the semester) I ended up having to do about 8 hours per week. So, it was challenging to balance time spent at my internship with the time required in other parts of my life. It was also challenging to manage my time at my internship. The original project that Lisa and Lauren designed for me was to interview Broadband leaders and use content from those interviews to produce a short, inspirational video to show to new Broadband leaders. I was really looking forward to producing a video, as I’ve done some for projects in the past and I enjoy video editing. However, when all was said and done, there was simply not enough time for me to do the video. While the end-product is still valuable, I wish I would have had additional time to dedicate to producing a video.
One area of growth that I’ve discovered through my internship is that, while I love the outdoors and recycle and try to live as sustainably as possible, I’m not doing enough. Many of the Broadband leaders that I interviewed gave the insight that we need to ACTIVELY protect the places that we love; it’s not enough to enjoy them and passively advocate every once in a while. Even though it can be difficult to call your legislators, attend protests and rallies, and educate yourself on climate change and issues involving public lands, it is crucial, and I need to be more active in advocacy and contacting my legislators.
I have been planning to study political science for some time now, and after my internship, that is still my plan. I feel that conservation is a combination of my passions, politics and the outdoors, and I am much more inclined to work in a non-profit since my internship at Broads. I don’t have any summer work or internships lined up in this field, but I think that I will certainly consider future work in conservation.
Throughout my internship, I had to utilize and hone my interpersonal skills. As I met with members of the Broads staff and interviewed leaders, I noticed that I was very comfortable interacting with all these people and I was able to develop relationships and establish trust. So, my internship revealed that one of my strengths is interpersonal connection and that I have strong people skills. I am very proud of my contributions to Broads, and I consider the work from both of my projects to be accomplishments. I think I helped the organization in a meaningful way.
The main challenge that I encountered during my internship was time! As I reflect on my senior year in various realms, I’ve noticed that time and having a too-full schedule have been recurring themes. I had to complete 60 hours of my internship, and since I began at Spring Break (not the beginning of the semester) I ended up having to do about 8 hours per week. So, it was challenging to balance time spent at my internship with the time required in other parts of my life. It was also challenging to manage my time at my internship. The original project that Lisa and Lauren designed for me was to interview Broadband leaders and use content from those interviews to produce a short, inspirational video to show to new Broadband leaders. I was really looking forward to producing a video, as I’ve done some for projects in the past and I enjoy video editing. However, when all was said and done, there was simply not enough time for me to do the video. While the end-product is still valuable, I wish I would have had additional time to dedicate to producing a video.
One area of growth that I’ve discovered through my internship is that, while I love the outdoors and recycle and try to live as sustainably as possible, I’m not doing enough. Many of the Broadband leaders that I interviewed gave the insight that we need to ACTIVELY protect the places that we love; it’s not enough to enjoy them and passively advocate every once in a while. Even though it can be difficult to call your legislators, attend protests and rallies, and educate yourself on climate change and issues involving public lands, it is crucial, and I need to be more active in advocacy and contacting my legislators.
I have been planning to study political science for some time now, and after my internship, that is still my plan. I feel that conservation is a combination of my passions, politics and the outdoors, and I am much more inclined to work in a non-profit since my internship at Broads. I don’t have any summer work or internships lined up in this field, but I think that I will certainly consider future work in conservation.