Faith and Sustainability Internship

About the program:

Over 80% of people worldwide affiliate with a religion. Their faith, religious communities and spiritual leaders are important guides for forging the values they embrace and protect. While many people of faith view the earth as a divine creation that requires responsible stewardship, religious organizations often lack a clear roadmap for how to engage in work that promote global thriving and wellbeing. WRI’s Faith and Sustainability Initiative supports faith-based organizations in undertaking timely, informed, science-based and coordinated action to combat climate change and promote sustainable development. The Initiative supports existing and new faith-based sustainability projects and enables faith-based communities to build capacity for community-level solutions.

Internship Highlight:

The WRI Faith and Sustainability initiative is seeking an Intern to support its project activities. As an Intern, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the design, scoping, and implementation of different projects at the intersection of faith and sustainability. Activities include but are not limited to supporting the development of new project opportunities, contributing to various research projects and outputs, liaising with partners while supporting ongoing projects in Latin America and Africa, and strategizing opportunities to engage with key groups including Indigenous peoples, rural and low-income communities, and youth.

You will be supervised by the Acting Director of the Faith and Sustainability Initiative.

What you will do:

• Support the development of project proposals, including conducting desk research, writing concept notes, scoping partnerships, and investigating funding prospects
• Contribute written and graphic content to publications, reports, papers, and presentations
• Support technical research and advanced analysis of science-based targets, GHG measurement and management relevant to faith-based institutions
• Support the FSI Team with literature reviews and ad-hoc research
• Provide event planning support to organize FSI events and speaking opportunities and prepare outreach and engagement materials
• Support communication initiatives and events.

What you will need:

• Qualifications: You are pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in environmental studies, theology, urban/city studies, development studies, or a related field
• An interest in the intersection of faith and sustainability, and the ways faith-based action may be used to promote sustainable development
• Familiarity with the development of project proposals, research and data analysis, and partnership prospecting
• Academic or professional experience conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses, and developing user-friendly web-based tools desirable
• Experience working with faith-based organizations or religious institutions desirable
• You are proficient in spoken and written English. Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese is desirable.

Conditions of the internship:

• This is a 6 month internship with a start date of 13 March 2022
• This internship will be based at the WRI Europe office in the Hague with some flexibility to work from home
• This internship offers a reimbursement of 350 euros per month based on full-time working hours
• Interns will be provided with a laptop.

How to apply:

Please submit a resume and cover letter by 19 December 2022. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. You are encouraged to link to any relevant blogs, projects or other pieces of work that demonstrate your suitability for the internship.

About Us:

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.