Internships at FOPT
Finding Our Power Together offers supervised academic placements for students who want to learn within an Indigenous-led organization working to end preventable death by suicide in Indigenous communities and support Indigenous children, youth, families, and communities to thrive.
Is FOPT the Right placement for You?
A strong placement must be a good fit for both the student and FOPT. We aim to offer meaningful learning experiences while welcoming students whose experiences, values, skills and goals can contribute meaningfully to our work and community.
Because FOPT’s work involves suicide prevention, mental health, and other complex and sensitive areas, we generally accept students in the senior levels of their program. Earlier-year students may be considered for specific roles when their experience, proposed responsibilities, and available supervision make the placement appropriate.
We particularly welcome applications from Indigenous students and students with lived experience of colonialism and intersecting systems of oppression. We also welcome non-Indigenous students who demonstrate cultural humility, accountability, and a genuine commitment to learning within an Indigenous-led organization.
An FOPT placement may be a strong mutual fit if you:
- Are completing a placement required or formally approved by your academic or professional program
- Are in the fourth year of an undergraduate program or completing a master’s-level program
- Are genuinely committed to FOPT’s mission and Indigenous community well-being
- Bring lived, academic, professional, or community knowledge relevant to our work
- Want to contribute meaningfully while continuing to develop your skills
- Are open to supervision, feedback, reflection, and collaborative learning
- Understand that working in an Indigenous-led organization requires cultural humility and accountability
- Can demonstrate reliability, respectful communication, and appropriate professional boundaries
- Are prepared to engage responsibly with complex and potentially sensitive subject matter
Please note that we only accept a handful of students per semester in each of our intermship streams. An application does not always result in a confirmed placement. A preliminary application and interview is required to determine eligibility and goodness of fit.
Get In Touch
Have questions before you apply? Get in touch with us to ask questions and determine eligibility criteria.
Learn more about our internship streams
Clinical MENTAL HEALTH INTERNSHIP
Develop supervised practice experience in Indigenous mental health and wellness.
Clinical Mental Health placements are intended for students completing academic programs that include supervised counselling or mental health practice.
Depending on your academic program, level of training, approved scope, and supervision arrangements, learning opportunities may include:
- Supervised student counselling
- Mental health groups and psychoeducation
- Clinical documentation and case-based learning
- Clinical consultation and supervision
- Culturally grounded mental health resource development
- Mental health research and knowledge mobilization
Direct client work is not guaranteed. It may only be undertaken within an approved student scope and under appropriate clinical supervision.
Often suited to students in: Social Work, Counselling Psychology, Psychotherapy, Psychology, and related professional programs.
PROGRAMMING INTERNSHIP
Gain relational, community-based experience with Indigenous children, youth, families, and communities.
Programming interns help plan, deliver, and strengthen culturally grounded programs. Learning opportunities may include:
- Peer mentorship and coaching
- Program and group co-facilitation
- Youth and community engagement
- Cultural and land-based programming
- Program planning and resource development
- Community events and outreach
- Program administration and evaluation
Often suited to students in: Child and Youth Care, Early Childhood Studies, Social Work, Education, Community Development, Recreation, Indigenous Studies, and related fields.
RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS
Contribute to community-based, Indigenous-led research and knowledge creation.
Research interns join the FOPT Research Lab and gain experience within FOPT’s active research and evaluation portfolio.
Depending on the project and the student’s level of training, learning opportunities may include:
- Literature, scoping, and environmental reviews
- Qualitative and quantitative research
- Institutional ethnography
- Data organization, coding, and analysis
- Program evaluation
- Research and project administration
- Academic, technical, and community report writing
- Conference presentations
- Knowledge mobilization
Research assignments are matched to active projects, organizational priorities, and the student’s learning goals.
Often suited to students in: Social Sciences, Social Work, Child and Youth Studies, Psychology, Public Health, Indigenous Studies, Education, Public Policy, Disability Studies, and related fields.
ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNSHIPS
Learn what it takes to operate and grow an Indigenous-led national charity.
Administrative interns gain practical experience with the systems, coordination, and organizational work that support FOPT’s mission.
Learning opportunities may include:
- Nonprofit administration
- Project coordination and management
- Records and organizational systems
- Governance support
- Fundraising and grant administration
- Communications
- Human resources and onboarding
- Event administration
- Organizational development
Often suited to students in: Business, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Project Management, Human Resources, Communications, Public Policy, and related fields.
Specialty Area INTERNSHIPS
Bring an interdisciplinary focus to an identified FOPT priority.
Not every academic placement fits neatly into one of our four core streams. F
OPT may consider a Special Topics placement when there is a clear connection between:
- The student’s academic and professional learning goals
- FOPT’s mission
- A current organizational need or project
- Available staff expertise and supervision
Special Topics placements may focus on:
- Communications and digital media
- Public policy
- Governance
- Design and storytelling
- Evaluation
- Human resources
- Finance
- Technology and data systems
- Curriculum and training development
- Other interdisciplinary projects
These placements are developed collaboratively with the student and their academic program. Proposing a topic does not guarantee that FOPT has the current capacity or supervision required to support it.
Find your power with us! Join our mission, shape the future.
Copyright © 2026 Finding Our Power Together - All Rights Reserved.
Cookie Policy
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.
We Need your Support!
Finding our Power Together is asking for your support to help us on our mission to end preventable death by suicide!