Youth Conservation Internships

Working with Nature for a Bright Future

Offered in partnership with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, our 8-week Youth Conservation Internship program links Portsmouth high school students with mentors in river-friendly horticulture, sustainable landscape design and more. Along the way, they earn a certification as a Chesapeake Bay Landscaping Professional Associate and develop a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. The program is held at Paradise Creek Nature Park.
8
week
program
12
professional certifications
earned since 2020
21
Participants
Since 2019

What Youth Conservation Interns Learn

Teambuilding

Interns work in teams to learn about the river and its surrounding environment. Each intern develops skills to lead volunteers, including military, students and the community.

Life Skills

Mentors offer insightful lectures, conversations and hands-on learning opportunities to keep interns learning and engaged.

Appreciation for Nature

Each Intern learns first-hand about biodiversity, conservation, the impact humans have on the river, and how everyone can become an agent of positive change.

Job Skills

Interns gain valuable job skills through hands-on learning in horticulture, landscape design, landscape maintenance and outdoor leadership education.

Certified Fun

Youth Conservation Interns become certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Associates by completing this entry-level certificate course that introduces students to green infrastructure and training on sustainable landscaping practices that help restore the Chesapeake Bay and our cherished waterways.

GET STARTED

  • WHEN

    July-August 2023

  • WHERE

    Paradise Creek Nature Park, 1141 Victory Blvd, Portsmouth, VA, 23702

  • PARTICIPANTS

    Students from Portsmouth High Schools

  • ENROLL

    Contact Christina Brooks cbrooks@theworkforcecouncil.org with Hampton Roads Workforce for more information

Enroll Today

Name(Required)

Youth Water Monitoring Results

Entry Data

Name(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Time(Required)
:

Sample Data

Bacteria

Observations

Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, png, heic, tiff, Max. file size: 50 MB.
    Add any field observation photos here