The Secretary of Interior’s Office of Youth is developing a list of partners who the Department works with to employ youth (ages 16-25). Unfortunately there are almost no heritage oriented programs on the current list and the Director of the Office of Youth would definitely like to add some. Would you please share with me any heritage/cultural/preservation youth employment programs that fit this description?
Alabama: The Alabama State Historic Preservation Office contracts with colleges and universities for students to assist staff with various preservation projects. We contract with the universities and oversee the students’ work schedules and tasks. The universities pay the students and we reimburse the university under the terms of the contract. We currently have active contracts with at least three universities, two of which are HBCUs. One of these multiple internships at the SHPO is through the agency’s partnership with the Alabama Black Heritage Council, the statewide African American preservation advisory organization to the AL SHPO. This program, which has been in existence since the Black Heritage Council was founded in 1984, helps the agency successfully recruit African American student interns.
Alaska: Alaska SHPO uses the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Student Intern program to hire College undergraduate and graduate students. We also use the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation's Alaska Conservation Corps (ACC) program to hire recent college graduates to provide them with job experience and training in their chosen field (usually archaeology or history). In the summer, we average six youth/students and in the winter we have two to four part-time Student Interns. Youth employment has been part of the Office of History and Archaeology work force every year since the Office was created in the mid 1970s.
Maryland: In Maryland, the Institute for Museum, Preservation, and Archaeology Research and Training (IMPART) is a consortium of public and private higher education institutions, State agencies, and State museums that share a common interest in training professionals to work in the rapidly growing Maryland heritage and heritage tourism fields. These organizations joined together to address the gap between the small number qualified heritage professionals produced by the state’s colleges and universities and the greater number required to support the growing heritage tourism industry. The IMPART consortium began in 1998 with educators and other professionals meeting to enhance training in archaeology, museums and historic preservation. IMPART funds support undergraduate student assistantships and graduate student fellowships; eligible students must be enrolled at a Maryland public school of higher education (college, university, community college). Funds for the IMPART program are appropriated annually. While no funding was provided in FY2010, the IMPART consortium continues to work together in an effort to secure funding in FY2011 and forward.
Texas: The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has had some very good experiences with internships and student volunteers, especially in our archeology division. Many of our internships are unpaid positions, but we also offer two months of summer employment for minority students through the THC’s Preservation Fellows Program. The Fellows program was created through the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission (our agency’s affiliated nonprofit organization) to build interest in historic preservation among students from underrepresented ethnic groups. This initiative targets undergraduate and graduate students to encourage their interest in pursuing the study of history, preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, archeology, downtown revitalization and heritage tourism. They also learn about the impact that historic preservation programs can have on a community’s economic development. The goals of the program are to:
Preservation Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend for eight weeks of employment (40-hour week) under the supervision of the THC, either at its headquarters in Austin or “in the field” with an associated organization such as a Main Street program, a heritage tourism program, a history museum or a historical association. Brief progress reports are required, both during the employment period and at the conclusion of the student’s internship. Working with THC staff and programs exposes the Fellows to the various and exciting vocational opportunities in the field of historic preservation, with the goal of encouraging more students from underrepresented ethnic groups to pursue careers in this field upon graduation. In return, the THC and its partner organizations have the opportunity to meet promising young people who might choose to pursue careers in historic preservation. I have attached our Fact Sheet about the Fellows program for those who would like more information.
Washington State: We have been hiring student interns for the last few years. We have employed both high school and college level students to assist us in the agency. The college students generally assist us during their holiday breaks as well. We had a high school student for two summers. He required quite a bit of supervision, but the staff really enjoyed having him, he did well in school and went on the University of Washington where he is considering becoming an architect. Our college students have required less supervision. We also have student volunteers.
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For corrections or comments on the website please contact Kristen Harbeson at harbeson@sso.org
