MEVO’s most extensive, intensive, and noteworthy program is our annual summer internship. Each year we interview and accept college-age students into our two and a half month-long environmental empowerment internship program, which runs from late May to Mid-August. The summer is designed to give students both professional and actionable hands-on experience in the environmental field to empower them as they prepare for their future careers and to offer them a diverse first-time field experience. Our summer interns are intentionally made vital to the workflow of our summer season not only to help assist with the season’s rush but more importantly to give them a thorough understanding of how a not-for-profit runs its day-to-day operations. The summer internship is crafted for individuals looking to hold a career in the environmental field and for anyone desiring an enriching summer experience that offers extensive time outdoors while developing professional skills such as public speaking, volunteer management, and teaching to large groups. 

The interns we accept each year are divided into Farm Crew and Trail Crew. Each crew is led by a trained MEVO staff member and provides interns with intensive experience in various sectors of the environmental field. By focusing our crews on specialized work, our interns can end their summer knowledgeable and accomplished in their area. 

The summer initiates with two weeks of training. The first week includes team building, public speaking practice, and group reflections. During that week the interns, are introduced to MEVO as an organization. We also bring in local environmental activists, farmers, professors, and environmental career professionals to give our interns an example of careers they can hold after their internship ends. The second week of training is crew-specific and each crew spends a week together learning important skills for the summer and taking small trips to observe others doing the work they will be performing. After training, our interns work three days a week. Additionally, we take them on a to our good friends and partner not-for-profit Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, Vermont where we camp, work, and spend time together immersed in their 3,300-acre property.

Our interns end our summer by presenting a project of their choosing which conveys the impact the summer has had on them. They leave the program with a heightened sense of accomplishment as well as a network of their fellow interns, MEVO Staff, and friends of our organization.