Terms of Reference

RDI Internship Program

1. Introduction
Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) is an Indonesian Global Think Tank initiative that
focuses on issues such as disaster and climate resilience, renewable energy systems, gender
equality, children welfare, and sustainable development, among others. Through involvement in
these issues, RDI has a role in contributing to the body of knowledge on sustainable development,
social issues, and resilience research studies. As an organization supported by an effective
research team, RDI presents a dynamic group and creative ideas to approach and solve resilience
issues. RDI publishes working papers, conference proceedings, and journal papers. RDI members
actively attend national and international conferences to disseminate RDI’s research findings.

RDI has the vision to be the leading institution in research on sustainable development and
resilience studies in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. There are also several research projects in RDI
which are divided into seven research clusters, including (1) Disaster and Climate Resilience; (2)
Children, Social Welfare & Health; (3) Finance and Business Management; (4) Renewable
Energy & Emission Reduction; (5) Regional & Urban Policy; (6) Tourism & Cultural Heritage;
and (7) Water & Waste Management.

In acknowledgement of the vision stipulated above, Resilience Development Initiative (RDI)

intends to open collaboration by giving opportunities to students or recent graduates who are
passionate to contribute in developing new theories and would like to gain experiences and enrich
their knowledge in various areas through participation in the RDI internship program. The
internship program is divided into several positions, which include Research Intern (referring to
the research clusters mentioned above), Grant Unit Intern, and Social Media & Graphic Design
Intern.

2. Objectives
The objectives of this Internship Program Partnership are as follows:
a. To develop the research skills of students or youths by developing new theories and
raising their awareness of various resilience and sustainability issues that occur in
Indonesia and beyond.
 b. To provide a general understanding of the work of a Global Think Tank with cooperative
work culture, and also about the community engagement with other national and
international institutions.
c. To build a wider network with the community and other institutions through the insightful
events both held by RDI and partners.
d. To contribute to the body of knowledge on development and resilience research studies in
Indonesia and beyond.

3. Eligibility
a. Education: Applicants are enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent
institution leading to a formal qualification (undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate) in
resilience and sustainable related studies. Applicants have completed three years of
full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution prior to starting (bachelor's level
or equivalent) the internship.
b. Languages: Applicants are fluent in English and Bahasa Indonesia.
c. Duration: The internship programme lasts for at least two months and can be as long as
four months. For the two months period, the selected interns should work for five
working days, and for the three to four months period, the selected interns have the option
to choose 3 working days per week or five working days per week.
d. Initiative: Demonstrated interest in and commitment to resilient and sustainability study.
e. Inclusion: Sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff
members from different backgrounds. RDI will make sure to enhance our workplace
towards full inclusion, by giving equal opportunity to all and encouraging more
applicants from marginalized communities to join and develop with us.

4. Scope of Work
a. Project-based Task
This task focuses on the compliance of project deliverables related to topics that have
been selected by the intern, e.g. literature review, data analysis, etc.
b. Unit-based Task
This task is mainly prepared to assist work units in RDI, including the program unit
(project management), Grant Unit (proposal preparation), outreach unit (partnership and
social media), and admin and finance unit.
c. Administrative Task
 Similar to other institutions, RDI expects interns to support various administrative tasks
such as taking minutes of meetings (MoM), conducting webinars, translating,
transcriptions, etc.
d. Publication Task
RDI also provides opportunities for interns to be able to channel ideas related to
resilience and sustainability studies in the form of scientific publications. This can be in
the form of various publications that have been published on the RDI website and social
media.

5. Benefit
Not only the selected interns will be involved firsthand in RDI’s various research projects under
close mentorship, but they will also be subjected to some benefits including an official intern
certificate, recommendation letter from a supervisor/co-supervisor, and letter of acceptance.

Interns will have the opportunity to write featured publications (opinion papers, working papers,
reports, etc.) with RDI to enrich their portfolios and participate in seminars or capacity-building
events. Additionally, interns will also be able to observe how think tanks work and expand their
network with numerous experts and practitioners.

This internship is an UNPAID program, however, in some cases, incentives or remunerations

might be given in proportion to the intern’s contribution and the funding of the project. This
matter will be decided by the program and administration team.

6. Responsibilities and Notices

a. Interns are obliged to be available to work remotely for 2 months for 5 days and
independently fulfill 80% of total attendance throughout the internship program in RDI
b. Interns are obliged to keep secret all information that has come to their notice when it is
clear that this is of a confidential nature.
c. Interns are required to report a reasonable absence as soon as possible to their supervisor
or the responsible person within the Host Organization.
d. In cases where an intern can not continue his/her internship programme (e.g. illness,
urgent personal problems), the Intern is required to report this to his/her Supervisor at the
Host Organization as soon as possible. Further steps will be discussed.
e. The Host Organization shall be entitled to terminate the practical training if the Intern, in
the opinion of the Supervisor, does not adhere to the rules of the organization sufficiently
 or does not follow the instruction given by or on behalf of the management of the
organization.
f. The Intern agrees to behave in a manner which is in line with local custom and practice

7. Application Mechanism
The internship program batch at RDI is open every two to three months. Notifications regarding
the opening of the internship program batch along with a list of internship topics will be
published through RDI's social media (Instagram: @rdi_global and LinkedIn: Resilience
Development Initiative) and will be updated monthly.
The interested applicants should send the following documents:
a. Half to one page of expression of interest (i.e. why the candidate should be considered for
the internship);
b. An up-to-date curriculum vitae (1-2 pages); and
c. Certain documents are required (portfolio, IELTS/TOEFL certificate).

The application should be submitted to: https://bit.ly/RDI_Internship_Registration

by the deadline stated on the opening of the internship program on RDI social media (LinkedIn
and/or Instagram).
The selected intern then will be invited to attend the interview process. After the interview, the
host organization will be sent the interview decision and the letter of agreement will be
established.

8. Further Information
Since this internship program is being carried out during or post the COVID-19 pandemic period,
all forms of work and coordination with the RDI team will be carried out online/ hybrid. The
selected interns will be given instructions regarding the social media used by the RDI team in
their daily work before the internship starts. RDI’s internship program Frequently asked question
can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/RDI_Internship_FAQ

This TOR can be amended upon consultation between the Host Organization (RDI) and the
Intern. For any further inquiries, please contact Maria Putri Adianti (Outreach Officer) at
maria.putri@rdi.or.id or Danang Azhari (Deputy Program Manager) at dana.azhari@rdi.or.id.