About the Internships

The intern project supports internships each semester for any Houma youth aged 14-25 to partner with existing programs or connections to learn Houma language skills. Youth of the United Houma Nation can earn $500 through a three-month internship. Interns shall apply to their area of interest between the following three learning tracts, which will all be archived for future learning and preservation efforts:

1. Partner with a Houma French relative or local speaker for in-person conversations to learn about where the language is spoken and how it changes

2. Contribute to Uma revitalization efforts online with the Houma Language Project to learn about language revitalization

3. Assist with language and cultural research with the United Houma Nation Archivists in an on-site project to learn about archiving and cultural documentation

Intern Requirements

• Between the ages of 14-25 (note: you do not have to be a student to apply for this program)

• Youth of the United Houma Nation (you do not need to be enrolled, but you need to be able to let us know your connection to the tribe in the application)

• Dedicate 2-20 hours per week for three months

• Attend monthly cohort check-in call

• Write a four-page final report on language domains as described in the internship rubric

• Stay in contact with the Education Coordinator

• Track Specific requirements

  • Houma French - Engage once a week in a digital or physical conversation with a Houma Elder mentor

  • Uma - Engage once a week in a digital conversation with Houma Language Project mentor

  • Archives - Attend once a week in-person archiving session at the United Houma Nation archiving mentor

Internship Objectives

Through the three months of internship, students will work with United Houma Nation Staff, Houma Language Project volunteers, and community language elders to complete the following objectives:

• Understand the value of language and cultural revitalization, and its impact on the social and economic well-being of a community

• Learn how to develop relationships for inter-generational cultural knowledge transfer

• Gain technical skills in language documentation, digitization, video conferencing, and archiving

• Gain soft skills in interpersonal communication, following instructions, language acquisition, and inter-generational team dynamics

• Be able to communicate the state of a language within a specific language domain in a written report

Payment

Students shall be paid $500. Students will receive $250 when all entry forms are submitted, and $250 when the final report is approved. Mentors shall be paid $500 at the start of their mentorship role.

How to Apply

Applicants can complete the online application form here to apply.

Apply Here: https://forms.gle/b5yg4bZmNidxSA6m9

Application Deadline is January 20, 2023. Notifications will be sent two weeks after deadline, and the internship runs from three months from the notification date.

We recommend you review the full application found here before applying. Full .pdf of Application Questions: Houma Youth Language Intern Application.pdf

More Questions?

Contact Courtney Naquin, the Education Coordinator at courtney.naquin@unitedhoumanation