The Youth Solutionists in Government Fellowship (YSGF) is a four-month virtual program headquartered in the United States for young people aged 15 to 25, with the purpose of bridging the gap between youth and climate policies. Youth perspectives and opinions are frequently excluded from climate decision-making venues. Our mission is to change that through empowering adolescents to participate in environmental governance at the local, state, and/or federal levels. We provide capacity-building seminars to teach fellows how to engage the government using our unique three-step structure, which is outlined here.
Our 3-Step Framework:
Outlined below are the 3 tracks of our fellowship that each fellow will trained on.
- Build a Youth Climate Commission
Our fellowship will train and assist fellows in creating Youth Climate Commissions in their local communities. OneUpAction International was able to create the first ever Youth Climate Commission in the nation (located in LA County) and we are going to show you how to accomplish the same.
- Create a Climate Platform
Participating in a fellowship can provide fellows with the necessary knowledge and tools to understand and address climate change issues in their local community. Fellows will learn how to develop a comprehensive climate platform that highlights the community’s struggles and suggests policies.
- Utilize the Citizen Ballot Initiative
We will train fellows on how to write their own climate policies and policy suggestions on a local, statewide, or national level through a citizen ballot initiative. A citizen ballot initiative informs climate policy by mobilizing community members to support a proposed policy addressing climate change through the instrument of signatures and ballots.
Benefits:
- Expand your network of environmentalists and meet climate activists throughout the nation
- Learn from experts in the climate field, including those who work in politics, advocacy, and community-organizing
- Recieve a certificate after a successful completion of the fellowship entitling you as a “Youth Solutionist in Government”
- Receive internship credit if you are seeking it
- Become connected with OneUpAction International’s Alumni Network
Eligibility:
In order to be eligible for this fellowship, you must be:
- between the ages of 15 to 25 years old as of April 2023
- must be living in the United States of America
- You do not need to be a citizen of the United States of America to apply
- must be resident in the U.S. during the time of fellowship.
Application:
We have designed a comprehensive fellowship program that offers participants invaluable training in each of the three tracks mentioned above during the first half of the fellowship period (June and July). In the second half of the fellowship period (August and September), our team of experienced mentors will provide guidance to fellows as they embark on developing their own unique project centered around one of the three tracks of our framework mentioned above.
For instance, our Youth Climate Commission track offers fellows the opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge towards building a Youth Climate Commission in their local area. Alternatively, our Climate Platform track provides fellows with the tools to create a climate platform that is tailored to their community’s specific needs. Finally, our Citizen Ballot Initiative track equips fellows with the skills necessary to create and mobilize support for a Citizen Ballot Initiative within their community.
