(BIVN) – The conservation and environmental education nonprofit, Kupu, is seeking applications for the Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP) on the Island of Hawaiʻi. 

According to Kupu, young professionals looking to establish a career in conservation are strongly encouraged to apply by June 21, 2024.

Participants will be matched with a conservation host site for the program, “where they will learn and serve alongside conservation experts”, Kupu says. Current CLDP host sites on Hawaiʻi Island include Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Education and Interpretation Division) and Kaloko-Honōkohau National Historical Park. 

In a news release, Kupu says:

CLDP participants receive a bi-weekly living allowance, health insurance, and upon term completion, an education award up to $6,895, as well as access to the Kupu Pathways program, which offers a kick-start to college (no transcripts needed) through Arizona State University.

“Helicopter riding was undeniably the highlight of my experience, but also undoubtedly the completion of our planting efforts, marking a tangible success in our mission to provide more homes for the birds in our area” explained Kalani Green in the same news release. Green served most recently with the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance. “Feeling the satisfaction of contributing to their habitat and witnessing the immediate impact of our actions brought a sense of fulfillment and pride to our endeavors,” Green said.

Kupu was established in 2007 as a Honolulu-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and since then has trained more than 5,700 youth, provided more than 3 million hours of service, planted over 1.5 million native plants and removing over 151,000 acres of invasive species. Kupu says it has also presented $6.3 million in education awards to support the continued growth of its members.