The eeBLUE Young Changemakers Fellowship (YCF) is a new program designed to elevate youth voices and provide mentorship to high school students who are passionate about making an impact on ocean and environmental issues, both locally and nationally.
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Press Release
During this year-long fellowship, participating students will engage in strategic conversations with NOAA leadership around key agency priorities, bringing youth perspectives into NOAA decision-making at the national level. At the same time, students will develop, implement, and evaluate an action project related to a local environmental challenge in their home community.
This fellowship will take place both virtually and in person. To kick off this fellowship, participants traveled from their homes all over the country to Washington, D.C. for a multi-day summit with NAAEE and NOAA during the summer of 2024. There, they spent the week meeting with government officials and national leaders, participating in hands-on workshops, and getting to know their fellow cohort members. As a team of 15, these changemakers represent a diversity of geographies, experiences, areas of focus, and skills, all of which are important to the work of NOAA and NAAEE and in helping address the global challenges we face today.
Students will now engage in a full school year of virtual learning opportunities, mentorship experiences, and project implementation support, all aimed at bolstering youth leadership. In addition to taking local action, the changemakers learn about and provide NOAA officials with their perspectives on critical issues such as the climate crisis, water quality, environmental justice, and more.
YCF supports the goals of the broader eeBLUE partnership, an agreement between the NAAEE and NOAA's Office of Education aiming to increase environmental and scientific literacy to build more resilient communities nationwide.
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