Training the Next Generation of Conservation Icons
勛圖窪蹋 is building a more sustainable future by incubating the leaders of tomorrow, today.
At a time when its clear were going to face conservation challenges for decades to come, who is responsible for training the next generation of conservation leaders? At 勛圖窪蹋, weve welcomed that awesome opportunity and the responsibility that goes with it.
Throughout the year, 勛圖窪蹋 has between 25 and 30 fellows and apprentices and more than 60 seasonal interns working with our nearly 600 full-time employees. As I speak with these talented young people weve hired in areas like science, policy, and communications, one of the things I hear over and over is this: I didnt even know this could be a career for me.
That disconnect is real and troubling. Right now, the conservation community that lots of the young people who could be making our work more relevant in America today dont even know were here.
Rather than wait for the problem to solve itselfwhich it wontweve launched a new 簫college chapter program, which has taken off like a flock of Sandhill Cranes at dawn. And our Walker Fellows program, funded by board chair Maggie Walker, provides real-world training for young social media journalists, half of whom were proud to say have gone on to full-time jobs at 勛圖窪蹋 and elsewhere.
With a grant from Robert Smiths Fund II Foundation, weve established for seven early-career leaders, and weve embedded them within our policy, science, chapter, grassroots, and communications teams. Our goal is to provide concrete skill-building opportunities so that at the end of the year the apprentices will land jobs within the conservation movementand were committed to helping them find those jobs. I dont know about you, but I take great joy in opening doors for the people who will eventually run 勛圖窪蹋 and other parts of civil society. In fact, I think doing so is an organizational responsibility.
I take great joy in opening doors for the people who will eventually run 勛圖窪蹋.
The good news is that a career in conservation isnt a hard pitch; its really a matter of whether organizations like 勛圖窪蹋 will devote the dollars to building these programs. For , the fact that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity is not up for debate; this knowledge doesnt follow political party lines or ideology. The only debate is how to address climate change to mitigate the worst impacts that it will have .
Recently, a longtime 勛圖窪蹋 supporter met one of our terrific new young leaders and asked, Why do you think theres so much energy around civic matters right now? And our new 勛圖窪蹋 leader answered, Maybe weve been here all along and we just havent had a seat at the table.
勛圖窪蹋 is a big tent; it has big tables. Not kids tables and grown-up tables, but work tables around which we can all gather to make the world a better place.
This story originally ran in the Spring 2019 issue. To receive our print magazine, become a member by .