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Careers

Externships

The National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy have developed an externship to equip global youth ages 18-25 with the tools to take action for nature.

A woman in a helicopter holding a camera, taking photos of a prescribed burn beneath her.
Capturing Fire Gabriela Tejeda photographing a prescribed burn from a helicopter as part of her National Geographic Society and TNC externship storytelling project, Florida Everglades. © Gabriela Tejeda

Today’s youth are inheriting complex and mounting environmental challenges. They want to act and lead on behalf of the planet.

That’s why the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy have joined forces to offer young adults from across the globe a leadership experience to equip them with the knowledge, tools and relationships to seek solutions and take action for nature.
 

A women holding a large underwater camera.
Soggy Storytelling Gabriela Tejeda with her camera, photographing nature as part of her National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy externship storytelling project, Florida Everglades © Gabriela Tejeda

Externship Overview

Together, the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy developed a program centered around a rigorous externship—a highly relevant training, mentoring and research experience for people ages 18-25.

The goal: intentionally create more opportunities for young people from communities traditionally underrepresented in conservation to experience and prepare for careers in conservation and exploration.

Person working on a boat pulling a rope with sunglasses and a hat.
Deborah Santos de Azevedo 2021 Externship Participant, Marine Biologist and Nat Geo Explorer © Courtesy of Field School

Having a community like the one we developed through the externship is amazing, because it shows us that we can do this; we’re all in this together; it's not just me. There's a whole group behind me.

Deborah Santos de Azevedo

2021 Extern, Marine Biologist and National Geographic Society Explorer

  • icon of 3 green people.

    600

    Externship participants

  • green globe icon.

    90

    Representing more than 90 countries

  • green river icon.

    49%

    Increase in level of conservation career field knowledge

  • green icon of trees behind a fence.

    50

    More than 50 community projects have received funding

The Experience

Virtual Classes Groups convene live online across eight weeks and focus on a priority topic such as marine or freshwater conservation. © Unsplash
Mentorships Participants connect with each other, work with learning coaches and interact with mentors and experts such as TNC marine scientist Jenn Humberstone. © TNC
Workshops The program includes collaborative workshops on research best practices, presentation techniques and other career readiness skills. © TNC
Digital Presentations Each participant selects a locally relevant conservation issue to investigate. They apply the methods and skills that are covered to give an interactive digital presentation. © Courtesy of Simon Muturi
Seed Funding As the externship concludes, participants can apply for seed funding to begin to enact the solutions they identified in their communities. © Brigitta Gunawan
× Virtual Classes Groups convene live online across eight weeks and focus on a priority topic such as marine or freshwater conservation. © Unsplash
× Mentorships Participants connect with each other, work with learning coaches and interact with mentors and experts such as TNC marine scientist Jenn Humberstone. © TNC
× Workshops The program includes collaborative workshops on research best practices, presentation techniques and other career readiness skills. © TNC
× Digital Presentations Each participant selects a locally relevant conservation issue to investigate. They apply the methods and skills that are covered to give an interactive digital presentation. © Courtesy of Simon Muturi
× Seed Funding As the externship concludes, participants can apply for seed funding to begin to enact the solutions they identified in their communities. © Brigitta Gunawan

Questions?

Contact TNC's Youth Engagement team!

Email Us

Apply

The National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy are hosting multiple externships each year, and they are working to secure support to include hundreds of global youth annually.

Apply online through ParagonOne, which works with the partners to recruit, guide and inspire participants.

Apply Today!

Join hundreds of global youth who are connecting with the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy.

Apply

Addressing the complex challenges facing the world requires leaders willing to try new approaches and take risks. This partnership is designed to foster those kinds of leaders—our colleagues, partners and advocates of tomorrow.

Jennifer Morris CEO, The Nature Conservancy
A selfie of a person smiling on a dock.
Morgan Foster Former TNC-National Geographic Society extern. © Morgan Foster

Extern Stories

Elevating Voices for Conservation

Morgan Foster's love of nature is connected to childhood memories—like the comforting smell of saltwater wafting through the open windows of her parents' car as they approached Virginia's Buckroe Beach near where her mother was born and raised. For much of the 20th century, Buckroe Beach was one of the only coastal recreation areas open to the local African-American community. 

Morgan earned a degree in environmental sciences and a double minor in politics and English from the University of Virginia. She is working on a Masters in natural resources at Virginia Tech. She participated in the externship program in 2022. Her project—engaging with local people to learn about the past, present and future of Buckroe Beach—was inspired by her family's connection to the area. "Talking about Black history is important to me in the conservation space," she says. "Sometimes our stories aren't necessarily highlighted, and so I decided to tell this conservation story from a cultural standpoint."

Today, Morgan works full-time with TNC, coordinating with the impact finance and markets team to support conservation finance, corporate engagement and carbon markets projects. According to Morgan, "I want the things that I work on and the projects that I'm a part of to be accessible to all because conservation should be accessible to all." 

What's it like to be an Extern?

The Conservation Externship Experience (2:35) The National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy have teamed up with Paragon One to launch an externship program designed to inspire a future generation of environmental leaders and changemakers.

Our Partner: National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching three million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. The Nature Conservancy is proud to partner with the National Geographic Society to connect thousands of diverse young people through this collaborative, relevant and successful externship program; together, we are investing in the people who will lead conservation into the next decade.

More Ways to Help Nature

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Youth Engagement

The Youth Engagement team works to expand the current conservation movement by ensuring that young people from all backgrounds gain necessary skills to become a force for nature.

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Volunteer with The Nature Conservancy

Find local and virtual volunteering opportunities to get involved with TNC!

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Take Action Now

Speak up for nature by contacting your elected officials or pledging to take action.