TCR Tribal Youth Programs

Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Tribal Community Resilience (TCR) partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration with multiple federal, Tribal, and non-governmental organizations to offer an experiential, youth-driven conservation leadership training for Native high school and college-aged youth known as the Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress (NYCALC).

NYCALC's mission is to develop future conservation leaders with the skills, knowledge, and tools to address environmental change and conservation challenges to better serve their schools and home communities. For more information about NYCALC, visit the official website.

BIA Pathways Internship Program

The BIA Pathways Internship Program connects Native American and Alaska Native students to paid internships across the United States. With meaningful projects, rotational assignments, and multi-semester opportunities, Pathways prepares you for an impactful career in public service and offers a direct pipeline to full-time employment with federal agencies or Tribal Nations upon graduation. Tribes and Tribal Organizations may apply as internship hosts to connect applicants to meaningful projects that advance tribal economies, natural resources, health & wellness, and disaster resilience. Prospective interns may be placed with a Tribe, Tribal Organization, or BIA office. 

The Branch of Tribal Community Resilience (TCR) is currently recruiting Pathways interns to support tribal disaster resilience through communication materials, engineering expertise, construction monitoring, and administrative functions. Students with an interest in TCR placement may request this in their application. Apply at https://intern.usajobs.gov. 

Please visit the BIA Division of Workforce and Youth Development page to learn more about internship opportunities for Native youth and young professionals. These include the BIA Recent Graduates Program, Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC), and the Bison Apprenticeship Program.

Indian Youth Service Corps

The Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC) Program aims to expand opportunities for Tribes to participate in Public Land Corps activities and to provide a direct benefit to members of federally-recognized Indian Tribes or Alaska Native corporations. It is organized by the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, and is facilitated through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The IYSC Program provides meaningful educational, non-Federal employment, and training opportunities to youth and young adults aged 16-30 and veterans aged 35 or younger, in a natural or cultural resource setting, through conservation projects on eligible service land - public lands and Indian lands.

If you are a Tribe looking to partner on a project or if you are a prospective intern seeking to apply, contact BLM National Youth Programs Lead, Michael Brown, at m55brown@blm.gov. To learn more, view the 2024 program awards. 

Additional Federal Internship Opportunities

The Department of State offers career development opportunities to Native and non-Native students in high school to professional academic programs, including Pathways Internships and numerous science and technology Fellowships. More information on federal Pathways Internships and the Recent Graduates Program can be found on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Intern page. All positions are posted on https://intern.usajobs.gov.