New Partnerships Strategy Internship

Timeline

2024

Description

Affiliated programs: Green Devils Intern Program

Summary 

The New Partnerships Strategy Intern’s main responsibility is to support the Office of Climate and Sustainability by co-creating interesting programming that helps expand reach to students who are interested in climate and sustainability but may not be currently involved at Duke. The first program, All We Can Save Book Club, is designed to foster early involvement in climate conversations among first-year undergraduate students. It encourages reflection on Duke’s common reading experience, which offers diverse perspectives on climate change through the lenses of 60 women. The initiative also provides a space for emerging climate leaders to connect, share ideas, and build a supportive community around climate action. The role also focused on identifying and reaching out to diversity groups and departmental coordinators across the broader Duke community. The goal was to build relationships and explore opportunities for collaboration on initiatives related to Duke’s Climate Commitment. The last key program, the Plant-Forward Cookbook Project, is a campus-wide initiative promoting environmentally friendly cooking practices and celebrating cultural diversity through plant-based recipes. It invites students, faculty, and staff to share culturally meaningful dishes that support climate-friendly food choices. The goal is to celebrate sustainability, cultural diversity, and community through food. 

Goals

1. Expand student engagement in climate and sustainability by developing inclusive programming that reaches students not currently involved in related efforts at Duke 

2. Foster early involvement and leadership in climate conversations among first-year students 

3. Strengthen partnerships and collaboration with diversity groups and academic departments to support Duke’s Climate Commitment and broaden the reach of climate initiatives 

4. Celebrate sustainability and cultural diversity through creative community projects  

Experience and Learning Outcomes

1. Planned, facilitated, and led the All We Can Save initiative by organizing climate-themed social events and guided conversations for first-year Duke and DKU exchange students. Many returned for future events and brought peers, creating a growing, engaged community. 

2. Supported Climate Cafes by identifying and inviting diverse participants, including students and campus stakeholders, to ensure a range of perspectives on key topics, and promoted the events to broaden student engagement (both grad and undergrad). 

3. Planned and launched a Plant-Forward Cookbook initiative, collecting recipes from all students, faculty, and staff to promote environmentally friendly cooking practices. The final product will be a digital cookbook.  

Recommendations

There is strong potential for growth through deeper collaboration and recurring programming. This year, several planned events and partnerships had to be canceled or postponed due to external circumstances and internal policy shifts beyond the intern's control. However, there was clear interest and enthusiasm from students, staff, and faculty. 

"Moving forward, the project could be more impactful by ensuring those events are implemented next year and formalizing them as annual initiatives, especially those aimed at engaging first year and exchange students. Building consistent collaborations with campus groups will help create a stronger sense of shared climate commitment and ensure that diverse voices and ideas continue to shape student programming," said the student lead.

Student Interns: Aisha Shen

Intern Supervisor: Jason Elliott, Assistant Director of Strategy and Administration