Description

The National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE)’s Internship Program is a partnership with the National Park Service and other Federal agencies with cultural resource protection and public land management responsibilities. The purpose is to accomplish needed and important work on federally protected lands while providing program participants with professional experience in their chosen fields. Interns work under the guidance of agency staff who are subject area experts to carry out the mission of the park.

To be eligible, applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old (or 35 if a veteran) when starting the internship, a post-secondary student (certificate program, 2-year, 4-year, or graduate level), or a recent graduate (within the past 12 months at the time of application), and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.  

Introduction:

Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site is a historic house and cultural institution whose occupants shaped our nation. It was a site of colonial enslavement and community activism, George Washington’s first long-term headquarters of the American Revolution, and the place where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his canon of 19th-century American literature. Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters is located in a historic neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, part of the Boston metropolitan area. The successful candidate will be a key member of the site’s Interpretation team. The intern will develop family programming and community outreach strategies to serve diverse families in Cambridge and surrounding communities.

Goals and Duties: 

The intern’s primary project will be leading the site’s Sunday outdoor family activity programs, including researching best practices, developing activities, planning and executing an outreach and communications strategy, and facilitating programs for families with young children. The intern will build on the work of staff and previous interns.

The Family & Community Programs Intern will also support signature community events, including the site’s annual Summer Arts Festival, Juneteenth Gathering, Washington’s Arrival event, and participation in off-site community festivals. The intern will develop materials and activities for families with young children related to these events.

The intern will work under the supervision of the Interpretive Supervisor and collaborate closely as a team with NPS interpretation staff. The intern will have opportunities to connect with staff across divisions, including with curatorial staff working with the archive and museum collections.

Duties include:

• Research best practices in social-emotional and play-based learning.
• Develop and implement a family outreach strategy.
• Facilitate a series of weekly family programs.
• Evaluate and draft a brief report on effective family programming at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters.
• Collaborate to support programming with Cambridge Public Library or other community partners.
• Represent Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters at occasional off-site community events.
• Support planning, activities, and staffing for Summer Festival, Juneteenth, and Washington’s Arrival events.
• Manage a $500 family programs budget.

Schedule, Benefits:

This internship will begin May 28, 2026, and conclude August 24, 2026.  Workdays for the full-time schedule are Thursday through Monday. This is an in-person internship. The position is provisional and will be finalized once funding is secure. A background security investigation may be required before the start date. All NCPE internships accrue 4 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO) for every 80 hours worked.

In addition to the $18.50/hour stipend, compensation includes an $875 monthly housing stipend and $500 training stipend.

Professional Development:

The intern will gain extensive professional training and experience in historic site interpretation and education, program planning, and community engagement. They will also experience budgeting, archival research, customer service, and partnerships.

This internship includes a $500 stipend for professional development, which may be expended on a professional conference, training course, or learning materials. The site will provide additional training, access to NPS and partner webinars, and support cross-disciplinary networking.

The intern will be part of a cohort of three partner youth positions at the site, working on projects in research, archives, interpretation, and outreach.

Requirements

Applicants must be enrolled in a 2- or 4-year educational institution seeking a degree or have graduated within the past 12 months from the closing date of this announcement. Relevant fields of study include, but are not limited to: History, Literature, Education, Public History, American Studies, Museum Studies, Communications, Anthropology, and Political Science. Experience working with the public in an educational, customer service, or other setting preferred but not required.

Weekend work required.

Must be 30 years of age or younger (or 35 if a Veteran) when beginning the internship.

Applicants will be required to successfully complete a Tier 1 federal background check prior to the start of the internship. This includes fingerprinting and suitability determination for working with a federal agency.