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Sargassum Podcast – Internship opportunity

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April 20, 2025•3 min read

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Environmental Communications Coordinator Internship

Weekly work hours: 5-20 (can be adjusted to specific needs and abilities)

Length of internship: min. 8 weeks

Location: remote

 

About the Sargassum Podcast:

A podcast hosted by marine educators and scientists with a range of expertise in Sargassum and Coastal & Indigenous Communities. The hosts interviews scientists, entrepreneurs, resource managers, community leaders, government officials, artists, fishermen, the tourism sector, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to discuss their experiences with Sargassum, a floating alga that has caused severe problems during large scale Sargassum beaching events (SBE) in the greater Caribbean basin and West Africa. Each interviewee will discuss their solutions or new knowledge and experiences they have generated to deal with these SBE’s. The podcasts will enable bidirectional knowledge exchange between experts and local communities and between local and regional communities. We hope to inspire local solutions to this international conservation issue within the blue economy.

 

Additional info: https://marinefrontiers.org/sargassum

 

Potential Tasks:

  • Participate in podcast interview recording

  • Prepare recorded material for producer (identify and cut segments that will not be included in final product)

  • Contact potential interviewees

  • Prepare questions and bio for interview

  • Write show notes

  • Produce graphic for episode using our Canva template

  • Upload audio and video podcast to the publishing platforms

  • Correct automatic generated YouTube captions

  • Write and publish social media posts (Instagram, Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn) for each episode

  • Create engaging social media content

  • Write discussion guides for educational purpose (high school classes) for episode

  • Translate written or spoken material to Spanish, French, Dutch, English or Creole Languages

  • Interact with listeners and social media followers

  • Identify and contact radio, print media and podcasts across the Caribbean for opportunities to get interviewed or publish an article

  • Write article for newspaper or magazine

  • Give interview to radio station about your internship experience

Needed qualities:

  • Currently attend a US community college (requirement from our funding agency)

  • Interest in solving environmental problems that have social, ecological, and economical implications and that span country, language and cultural borders.

  • Openness and curiosity towards other cultures and various stakeholder groups (scientists, entrepreneurs, NGOs, government agencies, tourism sector, artists, artisans, Indigenous communities, fishermen and other stakeholders)

  • Familiar with podcasting and social media as tools to disseminate information and educate

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

  • Stable internet connection and willingness to work remotely

  • Outgoing and not shy to speak on camera

  • Well organized and able to work independently

Useful additional qualities:

  • Fluent in 2 or more of these languages:

English, Creole [English, French or Portuguese], Dutch, French or Spanish

  • Some familiarity with Sargassum or tropical marine ecosystems

  • Experience with seafaring cultures of the greater Caribbean basin or West Africa

  • Experience with audio or video podcasting, interviewing or social media coordination

Skills the intern can gain:

  • Learn how to work with a fully remote team

  • Science journalism/science communication research skills

  • Interviewing skills

  • Social media content creation and coordination

  • Translation skills

  • Newspaper and magazine article writing

  • Familiarity with podcast production tasks

  • Knowledge on how Sargassum affects different stakeholders

Example Internship schedule:

Week 1-2:

Become familiar with Sargassum issues and solutions across the greater Caribbean basin and West Africa by listening to past podcast episodes and reading reports, newspaper articles and scientific literature.

Become familiar with The Sargassum Podcast and its social media content by listening to past podcast episodes and browsing through our website and social media accounts.

Meet with mentor (Franziska) on a weekly basis.

Week 2 or 3:

Meet with mentor to discuss which tasks you want to be involved in, give feedback on how to improve podcast and social media and pitch ideas for podcast episode topics and people to interview.

Week 3-4:

Get trained in the tasks you will take over.

Week 4- second to last week:

Perform assigned tasks and meet with mentor on weekly basis.

Last week:

Write internship report (if needed for your school), mentor reviews the report. Final meeting to reflect on internship and give feedback to each other.

 

To apply Contact Franziska Elmer, PhD: [email protected]

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