War of 1812 Education & Interpretation Internship

Are you a student who enjoys American history?  Do you have an interest in developing educational or interpretive programs?  Are you excited about creating a program from scratch and working at a very grassroots level to bring history alive?  Then you might be the type of intern who would be a great fit with ATHA’s War of 1812/Battle of Bladensburg commemoration program.  

Anacostia Trails Heritage Area is a certified Maryland Heritage Area based in Hyattsville, MD.  Managed by ATHA Inc., this area covers an eighty five square mile region of Northern Prince George’s County.  Primarily responsible for working with a large variety of stakeholders to advance the goals of increased heritage tourism through historic preservation, natural resource protection and cultural arts support, the organization has taken the lead on developing a significant commemoration plan for the War of 1812/Battle of Bladensburg.  

General Responsibilities

Working with the Director and the Interpretive Programs Coordinator, you would help research and develop curricula for local schools, help write and lay out interpretive documents (brochures, tour guides, tour scripts, etc.). You would be responsible for doing research of historic documents and writing brief interpretive documents.  You might meet with local educators and seek to understand the state guidelines for educational programs.  You might meet with the War of 1812 Task Force or other local stakeholders to discuss your progress or to ask questions.

We are looking for an intern who can commit at least 15 hours a week, but we are flexible in terms of location for much of the work.  You would need to be in the office or at local based meetings at least once a week.  The position pay is negotiable.  We are located near the University of Maryland and Metro stops into and out of Washington.    The office is located on a major bus route from the West Hyattsville Station and the Prince George’s Plaza station.  Some reimbursements are available.  Intern would need to have access to wi-fi or network via their own computer/laptop. 

Aaron Marcavitch

Executive Director

ATHA Inc.

aaron@anacostiatrails.org

@atheritagearea

301-887-0777

International Graduate Research Fellowships

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the establishment of International Graduate Research Fellowships. Successfully piloted on a limited basis in 2012, these fellowships are intended to provide UMD graduate students a meaningful research experience in an international context, broadening the student’s knowledge and perspective. The fellowships take advantage of ongoing collaborations between UMD faculty and their international colleagues, and, through graduate student exchange, also enhance those collaborations. 

International Graduate Research Fellowship Guidelines: PDF 
Nomination Cover Sheet: PDF 
IRF Commitment Agreement Template: PDF

Heritage Tourism Internship Opportunity

PROGRESSIVE CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM INTERNSHIP
Conceive, design, and experiment with innovative methods for bringing the Maryland Indian Heritage Trail
to life and delivering its experience to the largest possible audience.
To apply, please forward a resume and cover letter to chris.newman@marylandindiantourism.org

BACKGROUND After two years of experiments in heritage tourism, MITA finally has a handle on its definition of Progressive Cultural Heritage Tourism. The next step is to develop and implement the PCHT program with the Maryland Indian Heritage Trail. This is where you come in.

Summary of the Position
To understand the job, it’s best to start by discarding notions of a traditional tour of duty in heritage tourism. You will not be performing the duties of a tour guide, museum docent, or park ranger. Instead, think of yourself as a scientist working in a lab. MITA is the laboratory, and your goal is to plan and conduct experiments to bring the Maryland Indian Heritage Trail to life. Your experiments will be geared toward accomplishing the following goals:

Goals of the Position
-Develop and implement strategies for reaching non-traditional audiences with the trail.
-Conceive and plan trail events to maximize potential audiences, with particular emphasis on non-traditional audiences.
-Complete “discovery missions” to reveal general tourism destinations that offer a hook – however small – into Indian tourism.
Course of the Position
-The internship will begin with introductory courses on MITA mission/history/vision/values, the evolution of Eastern Indigenous cultures, Progressive Cultural Heritage Tourism, and the Maryland Indian Heritage Trail.
-Armed with information from the introduction, you will be unleashed to apply your creativity and energy to the development of the Maryland Indian Heritage Trail, constrained only by our core values and your imagination.

PROFILE OF WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Character
Creative, inquisitive, team player, experimentalist, critical thinker, self-managed
Education
Field of study is irrelevant, though background (formal or otherwise) in cultural anthropology can help
Skills
Required: Internet research, Writing, and Oral Presentation. Desired: Project Management, Event Planning
Availability
Summer 2012, location is flexible. You will be working from home and in the field
Requirements
Must be able to provide for own transportation throughout southern Maryland and Washington, D.C.

ABOUT MITA
We are on a mission to advance the understanding of Eastern Indigenous cultures as living, breathing, evolving entities with a past, present, and future. We do this because we believe the word will benefit enormously from Eastern Indigenous perspectives on the core issues of humanity: conflict, economics, education, family, health, history, leisure, morality, spirituality, and sustainability. MITA is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that’s as tiny as it is relentlessly enthusiastic.