Conservation education for sustainable development through field internship at NGOs

Abstract

Conservation is necessary to achieve sustainable development, and building capacity of youth and having them participate in conservation is an urgent imperative. The SATO-YAMA-UMI Project was a conservation project operated in six countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The project conducted an internship program for Japanese youth in fiscal year 2018–2019, whose impacts were assessed by members of implementing organizations and former interns in 2024 through online questionnaire and a focus group discussion. The assessment sought answers to: What are the benefits of on-site internship, as opposed to classroom learning? What effects have the on-site internship had in the career of the participants? What program elements would facilitate youth participation in conservation? We found that the field internship provides participants with opportunities to see the environmental issues in their totality without screening, and to gain perspectives that will be difficult to obtain once in the corporate system. Results supported the theory of change that direct experiences lead to enhanced engagement in conservation, such that the participants would play stronger roles as agents of change in the society. Non-governmental organizations organizing and presenting field internship program can significantly lower the barriers that impede many youth members to take the critical step, and they can play a significant role in inter-sectoral collaboration in human resource development. We discuss the role of conservation organizations in mobilizing youth as agents of change for sustainable futures, both through their own activities and in collaborations with private sector and academia.