On November 10th and November 17th, we celebrated the graduation of our 2022 Rising Leaders Fellowship. We had an entirely virtual cohort and an in-person cohort in the Bay Area with a total of 39 fellows, nearly doubling the number of participants from previous years!
The Rising Leaders Fellowship supports the continued career development of individuals in entry- to mid-level positions within the outdoor and environmental justice sector. Fellows participated in an eight-session series that ran from April to November 2022.
The monthly workshops covered topics such as power and privilege; intentional communication; strategic planning; self-care; and more. Fellows discussed and developed a shared understanding of these topics as they relate to the outdoor-environmental field and created tools for recognizing and practicing them within their organizations. They formed small groups providing peer-to-peer mentorship as they formed their individual projects to increase equity and cultural relevancy in their organizations. At the end of the program, fellows had an opportunity to present their projects. Some examples included Making Community Science More Accessible, Providing Spanish Language Programming for Families and Community at Crystal Cove State Park, and Equity Through Language.
The graduations were facilitated by Rising Leaders Fellowship alumx Corinne Calhoun (she/her) and Ravi Lau (he/him) with the support of Dylan Kennedy (they/them), Program Associate at Justice Outside.
After each presentation, fellows reflected on the lessons they learned and the connections that they formed with one another. We are so grateful to our fellows for allowing us to be a part of their journey and we are so proud of each of you. Thank you for being a part of our Justice Outside Community.