In today’s world, we understand and appreciate the decisions young adults make about how to spend their summers. Summertime is often thought of as a time to decompress, enjoy life, connect with friends and have fun. But it is also a time to grow.
How does the Paddle-N-More Internship program work?
At PnM, we work closely with the local colleges to develop specialized internships for those seeking a learning experience in the field of outdoor recreation and environmental education. Once you fill out the necessary paperwork through your school, we will assign you a Summer Mentor. We have amazing Senior Staff with incredible talent and ‘real-life’ experience to share. At the beginning of the season, you and your mentor will create a program that meets your school’s requirements and Paddle-N-More’s expectations. Together, you will create a list of responsibilities, projects and milestones that will help you achieve your internship goals. Coming out of the summer you will be able to walk away from PnM with at least one tangible project.
Trough Paddle-N-More, an intern will:
- Gain real-world experience through front-line and mentorship exposure, in the field of outdoor leadership and recreation management.
- Obtain a greater understanding and appreciation of roles, duties, and responsibilities of professionals in the field of outdoor leadership and recreation management.
- Experience a variety of programming, leadership, administrative, marketing and maintenance functions.
- Identify personal and professional strengths and weaknesses for his/her development and maturation while entering the field of recreation.
- Complete all requirements set forth by the college or university to complete the internship. This includes communicating effectively with the internship mentor on all assignments required, along with attending weekly meetings to ensure learning objectives are being met.
- Develop and refine professional human relations and interpersonal skills.
Things to consider:
It’s great you are looking at completing an internship at Paddle-N-More… Before you get too involved, you need to evaluate several factors related to obtaining an internship with PnM. Review the following material before you submit an application.
Interns need to provide the following:
- Interns must be available to start mid-May and work through to September
- Have at least a junior level standing with his or her college or university; this is usually 60 or more credit hours
- Have at least a 2.5 GPA
- Have a strong desire to learn about recreation management, outdoor instruction, environmental education and leadership
- Work with youth in a camp program setting
- Have a teachable mindset to learn from PnM staff members
- Be available weekends and holidays
- Ability to write and communicate efficiently
- Be able to follow-through in a timely fashion and organize schedules to meet deadlines
Internship Policies to Consider:
- Paddle-N-More interns are required to follow all of PnM’s employment policies and guidelines,
- Internships start starting wage is typically minimum wage, but we will assess on a case-by-case basis. This is a learning opportunity and interns need to work closely with their mentor in the area of focus, which is a lot of extra work for the mentor.
- The intern will abide by the policies established by PnM and will show professional respect and courtesy towards all.
- Housing: Interns are responsible for their own living arrangements.
- Transportation: Interns are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from work. The intern should have a valid driver’s license as he/she may utilize PnM’s vehicles following approval.
- Meals: Interns are responsible for providing their own meals.
- Dress: Interns should dress appropriately and follow PnM’s dress code policies.
Sounds great…where do I start?
You will need to speak with the internship supervisor at your school to determine whether an internship at Paddle-N-More is relevant to your studies. Consider your learning objectives, the number of hours required, and what projects will you need to work on while at PnM. Review the available internship opportunities below and see if one fits for you!
What kinds of internships are available at Paddle-N-More?
At PnM, we offer internship opportunities in outdoor education and instruction, program facilitation, operations management, and camp administration. Other opportunities include building skills with media, marketing, graphic design, photography, and human resources. This is a learning opportunity for you. Is there something missing? Would you like to mix and match? We can work with you. See below for specific internship opportunities available.
Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education “Summer Splash” Youth Outreach Intern
This intern will work closely with the Camp Director to learn how to develop and facilitate our Stewart Park Summer Splash Program. This program is designed to introduce area youth to various paddlesports. Along with facilitating the Summer Splash paddlesport program, youth participants will also learn about the importance of keeping our waterways clean and free of trash and pollution. This intern will team up with Zero Waste Ithaca to conduct and learn the importance of waterway cleanups through paddlesports adventures. The intern will also team up with Discover Cayuga Lake to learn about how pollution enters our waterways through the Cayuga watershed and tributaries that lead into the lake. Our goal is to prepare our future outdoor recreation enthusiasts to take care of the waterways we play in.
Marketing & Program Administration Coordinator
This intern will work closely with PnM’s owner to develop a marketing and promotional plan; coordinate calendars and develop and promote specialized programs; attend meetings with various collaborators; assist with communication campaigns through various media; and learn and help manage registration information and sites.
Operations Management Coordinator
Learn the ins and outs of business through this internship. This intern will work closely with the operations manager to learn about and assist with daily administrative tasks, human resource management, operations management, and other daily tasks to ensure proper operations of Paddle-N-More and all the programs and services available.
Next step – For Serious Intern Candidates Only:
Send a professional email to jennifer@paddle-n-more.com with your cover letter, resume, and internship goals. Make sure to indicate your reason for wanting to obtain an internship through Paddle-N-More in the body of your email. All too often, blank emails are received with an attached cover letter and resume. Blank emails with attachments will NOT be opened. Serious candidates will provide a small personal introduction in the body of the email and encourage, through professional writing skills, to open up the attached cover letter and resume. Why do you want to obtain an internship through PnM?
SITE CREDITS