{"id":773327,"date":"2026-05-15T09:43:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcwatch&p=773327"},"modified":"2026-05-15T09:43:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:43:14","slug":"global-externship-builds-next-generation-of-conservation-gis-professionals","status":"publish","type":"arcwatch","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcwatch\/global-externship-builds-next-generation-of-conservation-gis-professionals","title":{"rendered":"Global Externship Builds Next Generation of Conservation GIS Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5342,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[422802],"tags":[1291,162592,371082,284952],"arcwatch_issues":[493495],"class_list":["post-773327","arcwatch","type-arcwatch","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservation","tag-conservation","tag-education","tag-national-geographic-society","tag-the-nature-conservancy","arcwatch_issues-may-2026"],"acf":{"short_description":"While learning how to use GIS technology, students address environmental challenges in their own communities.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Four young adults entered the 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition as relative GIS beginners. When they started an eight-week virtual learning program, they had minimal geographic knowledge. Yet they walked out of the competition as finalists, and two of them won awards for innovative storytelling with ArcGIS StoryMaps.\r\n\r\nThis transformation was enabled by a partnership between the National Geographic Society, one of the world\u2019s largest scientific and educational societies, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a global environmental organization dedicated to conservation. The joint externship program that facilitated this journey has connected more than 1,600 young adults from 146 countries and equipped them with conservation knowledge and GIS technology to address environmental challenges in their communities.\r\n\r\nThrough virtual mentorship and democratizing access to tools such as ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS StoryMaps, and ArcGIS QuickCapture, the program is helping build the next generation of conservation professionals."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":773331,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Uniting for Youth Empowerment<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe partnership began in 2020 when senior leaders at the National Geographic Society and TNC recognized a shared mission of conservation science and education. After about a year of planning, the two organizations launched the first externship cohort in 2021, creating a fully codesigned and cocreated program, according to Lina Gomez, vice president of strategic innovation and youth initiatives at National Geographic.\r\n\r\nThe program<\/a> brings together TNC\u2019s conservation science expertise\u2014backed by about 6,000 staff members, including about 900 scientists\u2014with the society\u2019s network of more than 3,000 National Geographic Explorers. Explorers are scientists, conservationists, educators, and storytellers who receive support from the National Geographic Society for their work. Kate Ireland, director of youth engagement at TNC, said the program\u2019s success stems from constant collaboration."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":773332,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Program participants learn while following one of three different tracks: Marine and Community Conservation, Freshwater and Community Conservation, or Community Conservation Data Visualization and Mapping. The Data Visualization and Mapping track was added in response to participant interest and feedback, Gomez said, demonstrating how the program adapts to emerging needs in the conservation field.\r\n\r\nThroughout their time in the program, students engage in the following:\r\n