Digital Impact Internship

Learn to Build Campaigns for Indigenous Voices

April 22, 2022 – July 8, 2022
with monthly meet-ups August through December to review campaign analytics

The Digital Impact Internship is a 10-week Indigenous developed and led communications training program that includes a 2-week theoretical skill-building intensive followed by an 8-week implementation practicum. Through this inaugural program, participants will learn the fundamentals for creating, launching, and reviewing a digital communications campaign in a professional communications setting. And they will do so in a way that focuses on centering Indigenous voices within the digital media landscape. It’ll also simulate what it is like to work in an impact-focused communications shop. This will include setting goals, understanding client needs, and using digital content to develop and repurpose content across a variety of digital mediums.

Participants will leave the program having learned the ins and outs of digital communications and will participate hands-on in launching a successful digital communications campaign that celebrates First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices as paid interns for the Indigenous 150+ brand which they can use to build their resumes.

The training will include 7 skill-building modules learning about:

• ethical communications
• setting goals & defining audiences
• choosing platforms
• engaging audiences
• meaningful and relevant content creation
• graphic design and image optimization
• using data to monitor and optimize the impact

Through the training, the participants will develop their knowledge and skills bringing their creative ideas to the table to collectively build a communications campaign that features the creators and stories behind the Indigenous 150+ podcast.

The program is designed to ensure stories celebrating First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices from across Turtle Island are promoted in a good way, from beginning to end, with an emphasis on positive impacts for Indigenous peoples, communities, and organizations.

The Digital Impact Internship training program is for media-savvy youth (20-35) who are interested in learning how to build and implement a communications campaign. It’s also for media and content creators who are interested in learning how to build audiences around their work.

The participants will attend and participate in skill-building modules and practicums up and through the launch of the Indigenous 150+ campaign. During the 2-week skill-building phase participants will meet 3 times per week for skill-building modules and during the 8-week practicum phase, the participants will meet twice a week for a 3 hr practicum. During the practicum participants will be paired with an Indigenous 150+ podcaster and responsible for developing the marketing and campaign materials for the release of the creator’s 4 podcast episodes and involved in building the overall strategy and creative direction of the campaign.

The participants will then continue to meet as a group on a monthly basis for 5 months (August – December) to review the campaign analytics and discuss the unfolding results of their work, discuss the learnings and any adjustments required to maximize the impact of the campaign as it unfolds.

The program will culminate with a closing ceremony with the Program Facilitator and industry guest speakers, highlighting the successes and lessons learned.

Each participant who completes the program will receive an honorarium of $1200 CN plus hands-on experience working on and delivering a digital campaign. They will leave with the skills, know-how, and toolkit expected for an emerging communications professional.

For content creators and creatives, the Digital Impact Internship will provide insight, knowledge, and skills for how to build audiences for their own work, and/or build and deliver campaigns for other creatives or organizations whose stories they want to help promote.

Digital Communications skills are an essential foundation for the 21st and can help lead and build meaningful and rewarding career opportunities.

The estimated number of training and practicum hours, plus additional assignments over the 10-week training program, plus the 5 monthly meet-ups are approximately 55-65 hours to complete the program.

Based on maximizing the learning experience for each participant the program is limited to 12 participants.

3 x 3 hr skill-building modules per week

The first phase of the Digital Impact Internship will provide all the theoretical tools and build understanding for the necessary components for a successful digital media campaign, with 3 skill-building modules per week.

The first week focuses on an introduction to digital communications with an emphasis on exploring ethical issues in social networking, the difference between personal and professional media, and how to center Indigenous stories in a professional and respectful manner. It will also focus on setting goals and audience analysis and how to use different digital platforms to achieve different goals.

During the second week of the program, participants will explore developing and maintaining meaningful relationships with clients and stakeholders, how to develop content to meet the goals of the campaign, and using analytics to adjust campaigns and demonstrate effective return on investment for partners and stakeholders.

2 x 3 hr skill-building practicums per week

*Note: week May 23-27th is a Reading Week and no modules will be held

This phase of the program is designed as a hands-on practicum to simulate what it’s actually like to work in a professional communications shop. The cohort will be matched with Content Creators to develop a campaign to promote each of the Indigenous 150+ Podcast Creators. This includes brainstorming, pitching campaigns, meeting deadlines and writing and adjusting original copy, developing graphics and social media posts creating a strategy that will support their campaign goals. They will also learn how to be creative within the confines of the existing core copy and a design style guide. As a group, we will review and adjust the campaigns, and prepare them for publishing. They will also learn to build a press release, contribute to a media kit, build a media outreach list and how to generate and follow up on media leads. They will get hands-on experience participating in the creation of a professional PR campaign and launch. And after all this hard work we will take a mini pause to celebrate all the hard work, and celebrate the launch of a new season of stories celebrating Indigenous voices and stories told by youth across the country.

Central to any campaign is monitoring and analyzing a campaign in relation to the campaign goals. This week they will look at the first results of the campaign as they come in and discuss any modifications they may want to implement based on these early results. This phase also includes monthly meet-ups from August through December.

On a monthly basis for the next 5 months, the participants will meet to look at the results of their campaigns, and review what is coming up in the next month of the campaign. Through analyzing data and discussion they will learn how to manage and augment a campaign on an ongoing basis to ensure that campaign goals and the greatest impact are achieved. During this 1.5 hr monthly meet-ups participants will:

• Review the campaign analytics
• Come up with suggestions for improving what might not have worked based on research and analytics
• Praise and celebrate wins! (discuss what & why we count them as wins)
• Come together as a group to discuss and address any adjustments or work/edits that need to be done to meet the campaign goals and make the campaign even better!

April 22, 2022 – July 8, 2022

As well as monthly meet-ups August through December to review campaign analytics

April 22nd     Orientation     Fri 3pm – 6pm ET

April 25 – May 6, 2022, Skill-Building Modules     Mon Wed Fri     3pm – 6pm ET

(During this 2-week phase participants will meet for 3 x 3 hr skill-building modules per week)

May 9 – July 1, 2022, Skill-Building Practicum     Wed and Friday     3pm – 6pm ET

(During this 8-week phase participants will meet for 2 x 3 hr skill-building modules per week)

*May 23 – 27th is a Reading Week and no modules will be held

July 6th + July 8th     Analyze, Review, Modify     Wed and Friday     3pm – 6pm ET

This phase includes 2 modules learning about and looking at how to measure and evaluate a campaign based on goals and metrics and how to write a campaign report.

Evaluation & Monitoring     August through December     Dates/Times TBC

This phase is designed for the participants to come together on a monthly basis for 1.5 hr meet-ups to continue to review and monitor the campaign analytics, discuss and plan adjustments to ensure a successful campaign throughout the campaign’s duration.

The program will conclude with a closing ceremony at the end of December. Date TBC.

The estimated number of training and practicum hours, plus additional assignments over the 10 week training program, plus the 5 monthly meet-ups is approximately 55-65 hours to complete and graduate from the program.

• Have personal experience and confidence managing social media accounts. This can include personal or professional accounts on any platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
• Be in or interested in taking a communications-related program.
• Graphic design experience would be considered an asset but is not a requirement to be successful in the program.
• Strong writing skills also an asset.
• Applicants must be familiar with Google Drive or other content writing applications.
• Graphics and media skills are an asset.
• Applicants must reside in Canada.
• Applicants must be between the ages of 20-35.
• Applicants will require access to a computer and reliable internet access.
• Applicants must be available to attend all training sessions and complete all assignments.

Official Languages: Please note that the program will be conducted in English.

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