2025 Environment and Policy Internships (EPIC): Kīpuka Kuleana
Job Title: Kīpuka Kuleana Intern
Department/Team: Kīpuka Kuleana
Location: Hybrid: 90% remote, 10% in person (one week visit on Kaua‘i, Hawaii)
Duration: 40 hours per week for ten weeks over the summer
Reports to: Tina Aiu (Executive Director)
Areas of Interest: Policy related to Ancestral Land Protection, education, community outreach
About Kīpuka Kuleana:
Kīpuka Kuleana is a Kauaʻi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and community-based land trust that perpetuates kuleana (responsibility and privilege) through the protection of cultural landscapes and family lands (www.kipukakuleana.org). Our work aims to keep long-time families rooted to their home places on Kauaʻi, in the face of increasing gentrification, rising land values and taxes, lawsuits to force sale of land, development, restricted access, encroachment and other challenges that threaten Hawaiian identity and cultural practices. We return lands to communities and communities to lands – a reciprocal process called ʻāina hoʻi – through four programs: Aʻo (Education and Research), Mālama (Stewardship), Kākoʻo (ʻOhana Outreach and Support), and Hoʻomalu (Policy and Land Protection).
To learn more about the history and details of our work, here is some helpful reading:
- Kaiāulu: Gathering Tides by Mehana Vaughan (link)
- Barger S, Vaughan MB, Aiu C, Akutagawa MKH, Beall EC, Luck J, Cordy D and Maldonado J (2024) Kīpuka Kuleana: restoring relationships to place and strengthening climate adaptation through a community-based land trust. Front. Sustain. 5:1461787. doi: 10.3389/frsus.2024.1461787 (link)
About the Team:
Our small, grassroots team is excited to work with a Stanford intern who is interested in supporting a variety of activities across our programs. In particular, we hope to grow our policy work and educational activities for students and ʻohana (families). This internship will be overseen by our executive director and supported by our team (ED, Development Director and ʻOhana Outreach Coordinator).
Position Description/Scope of Work:
A student will have the opportunity to engage with work related to:
- Policy development (research and stakeholder engagement) for county-level ancestral land protection
- Supporting our ‘ohana outreach program to connect long-time ‘ohana with resources for keeping and passing down their lands
- Strengthening of our ʻāina-based cultural education programming for keiki (children) and ʻopio (youth)
List of Potential Projects:
Examples of policy tasks:
- Working with our team and possibly another student intern to develop a foundation for county-level legislation on Kauaʻi that reduces the financial burden of taxes on long-time families
- Participating in remote meetings and “talk story” interviews with community stakeholders and summarizing key takeaways
- Working remotely with the tax office on Kauaʻi to access public data
- Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to identify key themes and quotes for a proposal
- Developing educational materials for county council members and other stakeholders that weaves together data and stories into a policy proposal
Examples of ʻohana outreach and education tasks:
- Working with our team to develop educational handouts for families about land protection resources
- Contributing to social media content or writing about our work, specific topics you are interested in exploring related to our land protection efforts, etc.
- Assisting with ʻohana workshops, which bring families together to support one another and share resources for land protection
- Shadowing our team and supporting our ʻohana outreach intake process, which involves assessing ʻohana needs, scheduling and facilitating one-on-one talk story sessions with ʻohana. From those sessions, we connect ‘ohana to appropriate resources for land protection (e.g., legal referrals, hoʻoponopono, conservation tools, tax relief options, etc.)
- Taking notes during ʻohana meetings and creating summary documents
Examples of ʻāina education tasks
- Supporting logistical planning and implementation of cultural field trips and educational experiences that we host on ʻāina
- Participating in stewardship activities (e.g. land restoration, beach cleanups, etc) interwoven in our education programs
- Assisting with developing and delivering education materials and curriculum
Desired Skills/Qualifications:
The ideal candidate is inspired and motivated by Kīpuka Kuleana’s mission and a desire to protect cultural landscapes and family lands on Kauaʻi. This person is independent, self-managing and proactive, and they can work efficiently with a small collaborative team. Excellent written and oral communication skills – as well as the ability to listen deeply and communicate effectively with community members from diverse backgrounds and life experiences – is a must. The ideal candidate is also respectful of privacy and confidentiality, especially for sensitive matters concerning ‘ohana lands. This person is highly organized and detail-oriented and proficient with G-Suite (Google docs, spreadsheets, slides, drive, forms, etc.) and Zoom.
Bonus skills include beginner level proficiency with ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi or willingness to learn, and experience working with communities in Hawai‘i and/or on the island of Kaua‘i. Experience with teaching ʻāina-based education is also a plus.
Logistics:
- EPIC fellows are required to work full-time (35-40 hours per week) for 10 weeks over the summer, and will receive a stipend of $8,000 - $9,500, depending on financial need. This stipend is intended to help cover living and transportation expenses during the fellowship, which the student is expected to arrange and coordinate.
- Preferred start date and end date: June 23-August 29, 2024
- Due to the high cost of living and very expensive rental housing, this position is primarily remote. If a candidate has existing housing on Kauaʻi (staying with family, etc.), there may be more opportunities for in-person collaboration.
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Approximate Breakdown of Costs (to be covered by the student):
- Rental housing on Kauai: approximately $2,000/week
- Food costs (7 days x $50/day): approximately $350/week
- Car rental: approximately $300/week
- Round trip flight from SFO/SJC to LIH: approximately $500-700
Eligibility:
Stanford undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Learn more about our previous EPIC cohorts! Students must be enrolled for winter and spring quarters of this year and be in good academic standing to be eligible for a fellowship. Applications will only be accepted from students who will be enrolled as undergraduates for the following academic year, so unfortunately, graduating seniors cannot apply. The one exception to this rule is seniors who will be working toward a co-term degree during the following academic year. Co-term students must be in the undergraduate billing group in spring quarter. Please refer to the Haas Center for Public Service's website for additional Cardinal Quarter Undergraduate Fellowship Program Policies and Requirements.
Note: students are only eligible for one Stanford-funded full-time experiential learning opportunity during the summer, and are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, coursework, or volunteer opportunity. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing and transportation during the fellowship.
Requirements:
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Spring Quarter:
- Commit to working full-time (35-40 hours week) for 10 consecutive weeks
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Complete an online program orientation through the Haas Center for Public Service
- This will include designing a personal learning plan that you will share with your site supervisor and academic mentor
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet
- Meet with your assigned Stanford academic mentor at least once prior to the start of the fellowship (more check-ins during and after your experience are encouraged)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in spring quarter, as your schedule allows
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Complete and submit all required forms and paperwork
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Summer Quarter:
- Engage in your full-time fellowship (starting no later than July 7, 2025; exact start date to be determined with your site supervisor)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in the summer, as your schedule allows
- Submit a mid-summer evaluation
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Submit a final project report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with donor(s) as requested by program staff
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Fall Quarter:
- Debrief with your academic mentor at least once
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating summer experiences
- Participate in outreach activities to share your experiences and help publicize the program
