Environmental Leadership Initiative Fellowship Opportunity

Environmental Leadership Initiative Application Webinar

Agenda PART 1: ● ● ● ●

Program Vision and Purpose Fellowship Benefits Important Dates and Deadlines Q&A: Please send questions using the Q&A feature.

PART 2: ●

Fellowship Application

PART 3: ●

Q&A: Please send questions using the Q&A feature.

About the Program ELI Vision The vision for the Environmental Leadership Initiative (ELI) is a fellowship program that nourishes environmental leaders who are reflective of the diverse population of California, including BIPOC and immigrant communities, California Native and tribal communities, and representation of geographic diversity that includes both urban and rural communities. ELI Fellows are individuals whose work supports building power with disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by environmental harms and economic inequities—their voices and leadership—drive California’s Environmental Justice values, resources and agenda, one that centers a more holistic understanding of Environmental Justice that includes agriculture, food systems, outdoor education, California Native Land stewardship and Rematriation.

About the Program Program Purpose: The Environmental Leadership Initiative (ELI) will be a program that nourishes leaders whose environmental justice work supports building power with the diverse populations of California, including BIPOC and immigrant communities, California Native and tribal communities, and geographically diverse regions that includes both urban and rural communities, their relationships with one another, and advances a deeper level of solidarity, advocacy, and collaboration among them. This program will simultaneously support leaders in their individual paths of growth and influence along with strengthening their organizations and networks so that grassroots, California Native Nations and community-based organizations will have increased power and influence relative to Big Greens and other well-resourced organizations, agencies, and policy making groups.

About the Program Our Approach: This program aspires to have an intergenerational cohort. Year 1 is dedicated to facilitated learning, healing, and relationship-building amongst cohort members. While the curriculum and facilitation is not tailored specifically for entry-level leaders, at times, the curriculum may feel geared toward entry-level leaders. While the topics we cover may feel familiar to some, it may be an introduction for others. This is intentional and is done to build a connection to the work fellows engage in and how to power build with other orgs and Native Nations and communities.

Our hope is that having a cohort with a broad range of experience, knowledge, and familiarity with EJ movement history and related-topics will allow for greater peer-to-peer learning and teaching opportunities during facilitated learning sessions.

Fellowship Benefits Year 1

Year 2

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Unrestricted general operating grants for non-profit organizations that fellows are an employee of and/or affiliated with.

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Engagement in intentional community and network building across Environmental justice leaders in the state of California

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A deepened understanding of a Liberatory leadership framework, grounded in a history of Environmental Justice to strengthen impact in environmental movement work.

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Professional development funds that can be used toward conferences, certificates, or other engagements fellows identify as important to their professional development.

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Professional development coaching to support intentional leadership growth and skills building.

Fellowship Expectations & Commitments Year 1: Fellowship Journey ● 12 months of facilitated learning ○ Two 2-hour sessions per month ○ Weekly assignments and reading ○ Individual & Collective group projects ○ Practicum experience in the field ● Active Participation: Fellows are required to attend 80% of facilitated learning sessions.

Year 2: Move from Fellows to Alumni ● Coaching: Alumni will receive 20 hours of coaching ● Alumni engagement: In-person and virtual events ● Professional Development: ○ Development of a plan for how to utilize professional development funds in collaboration with a liberation coach ○ Use of professional development funds

ELI is a 2-Year+ Commitment Year 1: Cohort-based facilitated learning Year 2: Professional development + individual coaching + networking opportunities Years 3+4: Alumni Networking & Engagement

Fellowship Expectations & Commitments Year 1 Facilitated Learning Time and Attendance Expectations ●

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24 learning sessions between March 2024 to March 2025 ○ Each session will be 2 hours; 4 hours of facilitated learning per month ○ First 2-hour session will take place the week of March 11th Fellows are required to attend 80% of all sessions (19/24 sessions) ○ All sessions will be recorded ○ Fellows can make up sessions with written reflections Schedule of Facilitation is being finalized and will be shared with accepted fellows by January

We estimate that for every hour of facilitated learning will require up to 2 hours of outside reading and homework, although this depends on each fellow, some may take more or less.

In-Person 2-Day Orientation 1.

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February 29th and March 1st All travel expenses will be covered by Liberty Hill Will have Covid precautions in place, including: health requirements, masks, tests, etc.

Curriculum Topics and Processes Goal: A deepened understanding of a Liberatory leadership framework, grounded in a history of Environmental Justice to strengthen impact in environmental movement work.

The Fellowship will cover various topics including some of the examples below: ● ● ● ● ● ●

The global and local implications of the doctrine of discovery and extractive economies Being in Relationship with the Lands, Waters, and Ancestral Caretakers of CA Structural and Environmental racism and the intersectional elements of oppression Exploring the unfolding of Environmental movements over time Radically imagining a Future of Liberation Conflict resolution

Each module will include the following components: ● ● ● ●

Facilitated classes with a topic expert Self work: Internal work/homework that cohort participants individually do outside facilitated spaces Care Practices: Self care/management and collective care practices Practicum (product of learning outcome): Collective or individual projects that apply facilitated learning and self work. The product or evidence of learning outcomes.

Professional Development Funding & Organizational Grants How it Works: ●

Organizations affiliated with fellows are eligible to receive an unrestricted grant between $25,000 and $30,000.

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Fellows will receive approximately $10,000 in professional development resources for individual growth along with one-on-one coaching.

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The professional development funds will not be directly granted to the fellows due to IRS reporting and tax collection requirements. To access these grants, organizations must be affiliated with a 501(c)(3) or have a fiscal sponsor.

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Organizations with which you are affiliated, whether through employment, volunteerism, or board participation, must have mechanisms in place to receive a grant of $25,000 to $30,000.

Important Dates & Deadlines ●

Application deadline: October 4th, 2023; 11:59PM

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Informational Webinars ○ Wednesday, September 20th at 1:00 pm ○ Tuesday, September 26th at 4:00 pm

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Application Drop-In Office Hours ○ Friday, September 29th at 11:00am ○ Tuesday, October 3rd at 3:00pm

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Fellow Announcements: November - December 2023

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2-day In-Person Fellowship Orientation: February 2024

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Year 1 Facilitated Learning Begins: March 2024

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Year 1 Facilitated Learning Ends: March 2025

Q&A Any questions or curiosities on the ELI Fellowship, or Benefits and Requirements?

Important Dates & Deadlines ●

Application opens: September 11th, 2023

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Application deadline: October 4th, 2023; 11:59PM

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Informational Webinars ○ Wednesday, September 20th at 1:00 pm ○ Tuesday, September 26th at 4:00 pm

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Application Drop-In Office Hours ○ Monday, September 25th at 2:00pm ○ Friday, September 29th at 11:00am ○ Tuesday, October 3rd at 3:00pm

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Fellow Announcements: November - December 2023

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2-day In-Person Fellowship Orientation: February 2024

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Year 1 Facilitated Learning Begins: March 2024

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Year 1 Facilitated Learning Ends: March 2025

Fellowship Application Section 1: Applicant Information Identities and Experiences - All prompts in Section 1 are limited to 150 words max. ●

Please share any reflections about how you identify with the communities in our vision for the program.

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Is there anything you would like to share about your background or how you identify yourself?

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Have you had experience working directly with Black, Native American Nations, Native persons, Indigenous, and communities of color-led coalitions, organizations, programs, movements, or collaboratives? ○ If yes, please elaborate on your response.

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Please describe your work in your organization, or in other spaces, and how it relates and/or how it intersects with the movement to advance environmental justice.

Fellowship Application Section 1: Applicant Information Accessibility Needs, Educational Experiences, and Additional Information ●

Do you have any accessibility needs that we should be aware of in order to provide equal access and opportunity

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Please list any non-colonial cultural forms of education or education outside of the U.S. you have received/participated in, here. (e.g. community-led certification programs, etc.); (Short Answer, 150 words max)

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Educational Background

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How did you hear about the ELI?

Fellowship Application Section 2: Short Response Prompts Written, Video, and Audio Responses are accepted. Written responses should be no more than 300 words.

Video and audio responses should be no more than 90 seconds in length.

Prompt 1: Please provide an example that demonstrates your experience and passion in advancing the principles of Environmental Justice, Rematriation/Land Back, collective movement/participation in movement-building work, or other intersecting work. What calls you to the work you engage in? Why is the work you do so important to you?

Prompt 2: Why do you want to be an ELI Fellow and what knowledge do you hope to walk away with? How do you envision the statewide ELI Fellowship supporting your current and/or future goals?

Prompt 3: How do you approach difficult situations and in what moments do you shine? Can you share a specific example of a time when you encountered a challenging conversation or conflict with a peer/colleague and how you worked through it?

Self-Recording Best Practices Camera Setting, Audio & Lighting 1.

If shooting on a mobile phone, please use the highest setting you have for video recording (e.g., iPhone 13 pro - 4k at 60fps is the highest setting).

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Make sure there is ample lighting in your surroundings.

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Do not record with a window or other light source behind you – the light source should be in front of you.

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Please leave 2 seconds at the beginning and 2 seconds at the end of your video. Just sit in front of the camera silent for these periods.

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Speak loudly & clearly. Use headphones with a built-in microphone to enhance your audio.

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If you are not using headphones, note that the further the phone is from you, the more you need to project your voice.

Self-Recording Best Practices Framing 1.

Please shoot vertically (long-way).

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Please make sure we can see at least the top of your head and 1/3 of your shoulders.

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If recording sitting down, please crop in so we see you from your torso up.

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A white background is ideal, but if not available, any background is fine as long as it isn’t reflective and does not have “buzzing” pattern (e.g., stripes).

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Stand as close as possible to the wall/background.

Q&A Any questions or curiosities on the ELI Fellowship, or Benefits and Requirements?