Youth Outside is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2016 Rising Leaders Fellowship program. This is a wonderful opportunity for entry to mid-level staff working in an outdoor education or outdoor programming organization who are interested in professional development and networking. If you, someone on your staff, or someone you know, meet the criteria (found here) and are interested in applying, please complete the application (found here) and submit it no later than March 4, 2016. Details about the program and the application can be found on our website. 

The mission of Youth Outside is to connect youth to nature by eliminating barriers, providing resources, and promoting outdoor programming as essential for building healthy lives and inspiring future stewards of the planet. With little diversity in the outdoors, at the participant as well as at the staffing level, Youth Outside recognizes that efforts need to be created and supported that will attract and retain talented people of color across the environmental movement. With this in mind, Youth Outside created the Rising Leaders Fellowship program. 

Objective 

The Rising Leaders Fellowship supports the professional development of diverse, rising leaders who currently hold an entry to mid-level position within an outdoor programming or outdoor education organization. Specifically, Youth Outside is targeting individuals who are enthusiastic about affecting culture change within their organizations and the field in general, and who also have the drive to develop their professional capacity. The Rising Leaders Fellowship will work on creating a supportive network of like-minded leaders through a project-based cohort series that is delivered entirely through the lens of cultural relevancy. 

Program Overview 

A cohort of up to twenty fellows will be selected to participate in an 8-session series that runs from April through December 2016. The monthly sessions will be held one Thursday of each month. Please see the attached schedule for specific dates and times. In-person sessions: The in-person sessions will consist of personality and work style assessments, facilitated learning modules, guest speakers, and networking opportunities. Team group work: The cohort will be divided into teams that will each be assigned a specific project. In order to complete the project collectively, teams will need to schedule at least one group meeting a month, outside of the in-person session. 

Individual Coaching: Each participant will have the opportunity to receive individual coaching to explore his or her personal and professional development goals of the participant, and the ways in which his or her supervisor is willing to support those goals.