Youth & Young Leader Digest
connecting emerging leaders in conservation
november 2010

in this issue ::
:: Update from Alexander Gorbachev in Russia
:: Opportunities for Emerging Leaders
:: Notes from the Editor
:: Update from Jorge Bolaños in Mexico
:: Learning Opportunity


On the one year anniversary of WILD9, I'm very excited to send out the first Youth and Young Leader Digest.  Each monthly 'digest' will include activities and opportunities for youth and young leaders working in conservation/protected area management, with a focus on Nature Needs Half™ and inter-generational collaboration. Enjoy!

Update from Alexander Gorbachev
Russia

Alexander Gorbachev, Photo 1
Alexander Gorbachev, Photo 2
Car monitoring transects
iBats_Russia 2010 Programme
We implemented a bat monitoring programme in Western Russia in order to generate long-term data on biodiversity indicator species to assess the impact of national development and global change. We trained 74 volunteers from different regions in acoustic bat monitoring and survey techniques. The trained volunteers then split up into six survey groups distributed over Western Russia and have done 61 car transects in May - September 2010.

Alexander Gorbachev, Photo 3

Alexander Gorbachev, Photo 4
10/10/10 Global Work Party
10/10/10 Global Work Party
For the 10/10/10 Global work party day we organized number of actions in Bryansk region pointed at Climate Change problem.

For more information, contact Alex at alexgor704@gmail.com.

Emerging Leader Opportunities

Unreasonable Institute

The Unreasonably Institute (in Boulder, CO USA) is now accepting applications for their 2011 class.  Apply to be one of the 25 social entrepreneurs to participate in the rigurous 8 week session, work with world-class mentors, learn from top consulting organizations, gain exposure and training, pitch your venture to investors and access seed capital. Learn more about the Unreasonable Institute, applications are due in by 20 November.


Field School Experience, Summer 2011, Borneo
Opportunity for students to work alongside research scientists, local community members and university peers on a study of the biodiversity of the Wehea Forest and an ethnoecological study of the Wehea Dayak village. Read more >

Rutherford Small Grants Foundation
The Rufford Small Grants Foundation provides funding for small nature/biodiversity conservation projects and pilot programmes in developing countries. Read more >

Conservation Leadership Programme
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a partnership of four conservation organisations - BirdLife International, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, the Wildlife Conservation Society. The mission of the Conservation Leadership Programme is to promote the development of future conservation leaders and provide them with the capacity to address the most significant conservation issues of our time. Application deadline is the 15th of November 2010. More information >

Kinship Conservation Fellows
Gain a deeper understanding of how market-based tools can improve conservation practice globally. Apply now to Kinship's paid, residential fellowship. More information >

Notes from the Editor
A bit of fun news....

I wanted to share a few updates from some members of our network:

Morgan Heim (Colorado, USA) is working with WILD on a multi-media piece for Nature Needs Half...stay tuned from more info!

Kate Harris (Massachusets, USA) recently ran into WILD's President Vance Martin in India at a writers conference.  She'll be in Cancun in December for the next round of climate meetings and then off to Cycle the Silk Road!

Jordi van Oort (Netherlands) has finished his Bsc and is now working very hard for his Msc.

Priscila Powell (Argentina) is very busy working to complete her PhD!


Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico
Project update from Jorge Bolaños

"After that experience (WILD9) my life was directed to dedicate myself to what I like, to protect what we love, the earth."  Jorge has been working with an environmental education project and the thrifty wood stoves in the Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico.  Here is an update on his work, which you can also read in read in English (PDF Download):

Wood Stove, Photo by Jorge Bola�os


Retos de la educación ambiental en los pueblos originarios

 

Defender y mejorar el medio ambiente para las generaciones actuales y futuras ha dejado de ser una opción,  la necesidad ha encaminado a  tomar una actitud para asumir y resolver los problemas de esta índole.  La frase "pensar que mundo vamos a dejarle a nuestros hijos" implica asumir una responsabilidad de: organización, ciudadanía, respeto, conservación, consumo, pero principalmente de ética y aprendizaje... la educación. Surge la premisa  ¿Qué hijos vamos a dejarle a este mundo?

 

El unísono tono de los problemas  ambientales de la América Latina, se encuentra lleno de secuelas y padecimientos de la colonización, sus  evidencias no sólo se reflejan en condiciones socioeconómicas y culturales, sino asechan lo inminente de su medio: el clima y los recursos naturales. Los pueblos originarios forman parte de este testimonio, dando voz  a un  problema actual  que lejos de ser especulación, se manifiesta evidente en el padecer que  sufre nuestra tierra.

 

Env Education, photo by Jorge Bolaños

 

Con la incursión de dimensiones socioculturales en la educación ambiental, surge el reto de la coyuntura de  encontrar esta armonía entre los problemas ambientales descubiertos por la ciencia moderna y aquellas expresadas en la realidad del pensamiento tradicional. Más que educar se trata de establecer una relación de aprendizaje que no conduzca a una, sino a ambas direcciones, a través del diálogo de saberes, permitiendo  la comunión de conocimientos, no en un afán de aterrorizar y condicionar con argumentos catastróficos, sino encontrar soluciones a problemas inmediatos, partiendo desde la base, con una democracia participativa, la perspectiva del otro...para identificar,  clasificar y  formular propuestas en conjunto....involucrar, sólo así se puede asegurar el éxito.

 

El proyecto "Alerta Ambiental"  preocupado por esta base común de experiencias y percepción hacia el medio ambiente, encaminó  un aprendizaje partiendo con ejemplos de la realidad de nuestros participantes, incorporando al equipo de trabajo a personas de la localidad, rompiendo con esta relación de peonaje, para trabajar como colegas bajo las mismas intenciones en el proyecto "sensibilizar sobre problemas ambientales,  bajo el marco de sus realidades, escuchando, dialogando y construyendo, más que aterrorizando".


Env Education (2), photo by Jorge Bolaños 


El proceso formativo de este proyecto trabajo con dos grupos, uno entre jóvenes de entre 8 y 17 años y el otro entre mujeres con presencia en el hogar. Se tuvo la fortuna de  generar vínculos como: convocatorias gratuitas y comunitarias en diferentes parajes,  escritas en idiomas mixteco-español,  pláticas en mixteco,  adaptación de los planes de trabajo de acuerdo a los contextos de los pueblos y ciudades de la mixteca alta, enseñanza y dotación de ecotecnias como lo fueron las estufas ecológicas Ñuu Savi ( diseño y colaboración con mujeres de la localidad),  estos son sólo una parte de los parámetros para construir alternativas  y generar un proyecto participativo.

 

Esta es la historia del pueblo del tigre  "Ñuu Kuiñi" una realidad donde el horizonte mira hacia las alternativas. ---- Jorge Bolaños and Leon Alberto Perez


For more information, contact Jorge at Purpuradecaracol@gmail.com.  

 

NWF Campus Ecology Webinars
Learning Opportunity
from Kat Haber

I just participated in National Wildlife Federation's most recent webinar on Evaluating Campus Sustainability. Fresh and informative, it connected me through National Wildlife Federation's Greener Campus Webinar Series to a panel of 3 experts giving a thorough overview of the latest metrics, funding, collaborative efforts between NGO's, universities, and government. 

The next webinar is on Thursday 10 Febuary on the topic of "Eco-Reps - Training student leaders to model environmentally responsible behavior".  -  Kat Haber

 

Reminder for contributions.  Please send contributions to me (send to Emily@wild.org) by the first of each month.  Contributions can include:

  • Update on a project you are working on,
  • Call for collaboration or assistance,
  • Job/grant/scholarship opportunity that you have seen posted or have been awarded,
  • News on intergenerational collaboration or discussion on this important topic,
  • Announcements of conferences or other events.

I am open to other ideas for the digest as well!  Each submission should include your contact information and/or information where readers can find out more.  It can also include a photo (encouraged).


You can download the form for submitting a contribution here >


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