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Miami Community ResilientSea Project Intern

Debris Free Oceans
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Miami’s Community ResilientSea Project Internship

A Paid Internship with Debris Free Oceans

 

📍 Location: Miami, FL (Hybrid; In-person Participation Required)
🗓️ Program Dates: August 24, 2026-May 2, 2027
💰 Compensation: Up to $7,500 stipend
⏰ Time Commitment: Average of 15 hours/week

About Debris Free Oceans

Debris Free Oceans (DFO) is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering local communities to go zero waste so all can have access to clean oceans and a healthy environment.

Through education, events, consulting, coalition-building, and advocacy, DFO is helping lead Miami-Dade’s transition toward a zero waste economy. Our work is grounded in the understanding that zero waste is both an infrastructure challenge and a cultural one.

We work alongside residents, businesses, schools, nonprofits, and governments to build communities with the infrastructural and cultural capacity to move beyond a linear throwaway waste model and reduce reliance on disposable products. Since 2014, DFO has engaged more than 14,500 volunteers in removing over 75,000 pounds of debris from the environment, educated more than 14,700 students about plastic pollution and waste, hosted more than 500 zero waste events, and prevented the use of more than 2 million single-use plastic items through sustainability consulting.

About Miami’s Community ResilientSea Project

The Miami Community ResilientSea Project is a three-year project supported by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is a holistic sustainability-based community science initiative that unites science, education, and grassroots action to restore habitats and advance climate resilience within Miami-Dade County’s frontline communities.

The project is a collaboration between key organizations including The CLEO Institute, Black Women in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Science, Rescue a Reef program, Debris Free Oceans, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science and Miami Waterkeeper to address urgent climate and environmental challenges through engagement, ecological restoration, and community empowerment.

The project was conceptualized following observations by partners of the Miami Community ResilientSea Project that many communities and demographic groups, particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), were underrepresented in environmental restoration, conservation, and community science initiatives. In response, project partners developed an approach to intentionally and inclusively conduct education, outreach, and engagement initiatives in frontline communities and communities of color.

Position Overview

Debris Free Oceans’ Miami Community ResilientSea intern will play a key role in advancing climate resilience and community science efforts in southern Miami-Dade County. Working closely with Debris Free Oceans and project partners, the intern will engage residents through community cleanups in inland neighborhoods, environmental education, outreach, and data collection activities designed to better understand local environmental challenges and identify community-driven solutions.

Unlike many coastal conservation programs that focus on shorelines, this internship centers on inland communities. Through neighborhood-based cleanups and community science activities, the intern will help residents better understand the connection between actions on land and the health of Miami’s waterways, Biscayne Bay, and surrounding marine ecosystems.

This position offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in nonprofit leadership, community engagement, environmental education, and data analysis while working alongside some of South Florida’s leading environmental organizations.

Internship Requirements & Deliverables

To successfully complete the internship, the selected candidate will:

Community Engagement

  • Assist with planning, coordinating, and implementing four inland community cleanups in southern Miami-Dade County, including neighborhoods such as Goulds, Naranja, and Florida City.
  • Represent Debris Free Oceans and Miami’s Community ResilientSea Project at outreach and community engagement events.
  • Support volunteer recruitment and community participation efforts.

Community Science

  • Train and support community members in collecting debris data using the NOAA Marine Debris Tracker.
  • Conduct post-event surveys to better understand community perceptions, priorities, and environmental challenges.
  • Assist with compiling, organizing, and maintaining project datasets.

Communications

  • Develop outreach materials including flyers, event pages, and educational talking points.
  • Participate in a social media takeover in collaboration with the Miami Community ResilientSea Project, Debris Free Oceans, and BWEEMS, including a minimum of four posts featuring videos and/or photos with accompanying captions that highlight internship experiences and project outcomes.
  • Author at least two blog posts reflecting on internship experiences.

Data Analysis & Reporting

  • Collaborate with project partners to analyze community science and survey data.
  • Contribute to a final report summarizing project outcomes and community-informed recommendations.
  • Deliver a final public presentation showcasing project accomplishments, lessons learned, and professional growth throughout the internship.

Professional Engagement

  • Participate in weekly check-in meetings with Debris Free Oceans staff and project partners.
  • Attend monthly Miami Community ResilientSea project-wide meetings.

Collaboration

  • Engage with project partner organizations through community engagement activities.
  • Support additional Debris Free Oceans programs as opportunities arise.

Professional Development Opportunities

The intern receives:

  • Mentorship from environmental nonprofit leaders, educators, and scientists
  • Experience leading community science and environmental engagement programs
  • Training in environmental communication, outreach, and public speaking
  • Exposure to careers in conservation, restoration, environmental education, advocacy, and nonprofit leadership
  • Networking opportunities with Miami-Dade’s leading environmental organizations
  • Participation in a peer mentorship and professional development support system designed to foster career growth and belonging within the environmental field

Compensation

The selected intern is eligible to receive a stipend of up to $7,500 in recognition of their active participation and successful completion of internship requirements.

Stipend payments are distributed throughout the internship period on a monthly basis and are contingent upon active participation, timely completion of assigned responsibilities, and submission of required deliverables. The internship is expected to require an average of 15 hours per week, though weekly hours may vary depending on project activities.

The stipend is intended to support participation in the internship and may be used to offset transportation, professional development, technology, and other expenses associated with successful participation in the program.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Be legally authorized to work in the United States for the duration of the internship.
  • Be able to regularly participate in in-person activities throughout Miami-Dade County during the internship period.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference may be given to applicants who:

  • Have prior experience in the fields of ecology, evolution, marine conservation, or other related fields.
  • Are members of Black Women in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Science (BWEEMS).

Physical Requirements

Program activities may require:

  • Standing for extended periods of time
  • Working outdoors in heat, sun, rain, and other weather conditions
  • Lifting and moving equipment weighing up to 50 pounds
  • Safely handling and disposing of litter and waste materials

How to Apply

After reviewing the job description above, all interested applicants should complete the online application form by Sunday, July 5, 2026.

Applicants will be asked to submit:

  • A completed application form, available at this link.*
  • A resume or curriculum vitae (PDF format)
  • A Statement of Purpose (maximum one page, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) describing:
    • Relevant academic, volunteer, research, and/or professional experience.
    • Reason for interest in the internship.
    • How this internship aligns with future academic, personal, and professional goals.

To support an equitable review process, applicants should not include their name or other identifying information within their Statement of Purpose.

Interviews will take place beginning the week of July 20, 2026. Selected candidates will be notified and extended an offer by August 7, 2026. Onboarding and training will begin the week of August 24, 2026.

Please direct any questions to: hello@debrisfreeoceans.org

*The online application form includes file uploads and therefore requires applicants to sign in to a Google account. If you require an alternative application format, please contact us at hello@debrisfreeoceans.org.

Debris Free Oceans is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.