World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): LUCE China – Beijing December 9, 2007
Posted by cwslibrary in Beijing, China, Juniors, Luce, Summer 2008, environment, sophomores.trackback
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
LUCE China – Beijing
Organization Description:
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the worlds largest and most respected independent organizations dedicated to the conservation of nature. WWF has been active in China on nature conservation since 1980, when it was invited by Chinese government as the first international NGO to the work on panda conservation. In 1996, WWF opened its Beijing office and has since established a presence in eight additional cities in China. Today, WWF-China has 80 staff working on conservation programmes, including species, forests, freshwater, marine, climate change and energy, education for sustainable development, and scientific development and international policy.
Internship Description:
The intern at WWF will have the opportunity to focus on one or more of the following areas:
Communications: The intern will work with programme staff to develop and implement communication strategies for specific programmes, such as the Species Programmes. The intern will also develop a wide base of knowledge of the organization by providing support in compiling newsletters and reports for targeted stakeholders.
External Relations: WWF China is expanding its cooperation with various and unconventional partners, including NGOs, foundations, banks, and international development agencies. The intern will develop and analyze a roadmap of these organizations, along with a report suggesting areas for possible cooperation. Working closely with programme staff the intern will identify the main organizations, establish connections, and develop dialogues. The intern will help strengthen relations with the partners, with a specific focus on the interaction between partners on international and domestic debates, particularly in the field of climate change.
Service Delivery: WWF China Programme is developing a proposal database and a project database. The intern will help improve both databases so that they can better serve the conservation programmes and the fundraising efforts of WWF China. The intern will organize and coordinate a study tour in the field of freshwater conservation.
Ideal Internship Qualification:
| Logistical: Knowledge/concern for environmental issues Knowledge of biodiversity |
Personality: Motivated Flexible Eager to learn Able to work with people of different cultures |
“This summer I spent two and half months interning for the World Wildlife Fund Species Programme in Beijing. Having been an avid supporter of WWF since I was a young child, I was thrilled to be working along side experts dedicated to the conservation of nature and preservation of the world’s biodiversity. I spent most of time at WWF working on The Green Heart of China Initiative and the WWF China Wildlife Conservation Small Grant Fund. The Green Heart of China Initiative is focused on increasing the size of existing giant panda nature reserves as well as establishing corridors to connect isolated giant panda habitats with one another. By building corridors, giant pandas are able to freely migrate between giant panda habitats thereby increasing their gene pool. The other project I worked on was the Wildlife Conservation Small Grant Fund. The purpose of the Wildlife Conservation Small Grant Fund is to support field based conservation projects on China’s lesser known endangered species and their habitats. Unfortunately, most resources available for research are currently only focused on very high profile species, while lesser known species and their habitats receive hardly any attention at all.
As the only native English speaker in the office, I was a tremendous asset to the WWF team. I worked mostly as a communications intern proofreading, editing, and rewriting brochures, newsletters, reports, and policy recommendations. Because WWF is an international organization, all of WWF China’s documents needed to be translated into both English and Chinese. I thoroughly enjoyed my work because in addition to learning all about WWF’s ambitious projects, I also gained public relations experience. When complying information and putting together newsletters targeted at WWF donors and supporters, I had to present the information in a way that was interesting yet informative. Often times it was a challenge editing the English translation since the Chinese meaning tended to get lost in the process. However, it was extremely rewarding to see my English version newsletters distributed to WWF colleagues and members around the world.”
“My work in the species department also allowed me to get first hand experience in emergency relief efforts. The Sichuan Earthquake destroyed many local communities as well as damaged the geographic landscape. Many of the landslides destroyed bamboo forests and giant panda monitoring and patrolling systems. WWF had to immediately respond to the situation. We had to introduce projects that not only helped to rebuild giant panda habitats but also local communities. Being in the office, I saw how quickly decisions needed to be generated as well as thoroughly thought through. WWF is a major advocate of green reconstruction however rebuilding a community in a sustainable way involved local residents staying in make shift tents for a longer period of time.”
Lindsey
Class of 2010