Earth Educators Fellowship
The Earth Educators Fellowship brings together 20 young volunteers for the environment, emerging grassroots conservationists, and schoolteachers who are passionately bringing students closer to nature and teaching them the intricacies of climate change. Selected from across India, they are invited to embark on an 12-month journey to explore the natural world, curate immersive learning experiences for students, build skills, and a community to lead positive conservation action in their locality.
Cohort 4.0 Applications open
Why Enrol
An Experiential and Practice-based Approach
Residential is a short in-person engagement when the Earth Educators, faculty, and the YouCAN team come together in a lush, outdoor environment to learn, try, ideate, reflect, and bond with one another.
Highlights
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Immersion and travel in nature
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Rigorous skill training
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Peer-to-peer ideation
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Personal action plan
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Photo and video storytelling training
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Field Time is when Earth Educators apply their residential learning in live projects in schools and their communities. Activities range from documenting biodiversity in their neighbourhood to film screenings and activity-based learning sessions in schools/communities for middle school students.
Highlights
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Weekly mentoring sessions
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Online talks with environmentalists and educators
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Explorers classroom
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Skill-building sessions
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Documenting the natural world around you
Immersion in Natural History
Educators who inspire environmental action among students have an aptitude for natural history — a keen observation and inquiry of animals, birds, plants, fungi, butterflies, and all life forms in their natural environment. It is developed through lived experiences through walks.
The fellowship training shares stories of discoveries through walks, provides resources to explore the natural world in the neighbourhood, teaches skills such as citizen science, nature journaling, photo, and video storytelling, and helps Earth Educators create a portfolio of their documentation of local biodiversity.
Who are we looking for?
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Emerging grassroots conservationists leading campaigns
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Schoolteachers and educator passionately educating students about nature.
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Young volunteers with experience in environmental conservation and/or education, outreach, and community work
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Young naturalists looking to build a foundation in the field of conservation and education.
Requirements
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20 hours a week; including educational sessions in schools/communities*, 4 times a month.
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Travel and availability to the first residential workshop - 7 days, second residential workshop - 3 days, and the public event - 4 days.
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A working smartphone and/or laptop with a stable internet connection.
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Other Criteria:
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Minimum 12th Standard pass
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Ages 18-35 years (with exceptions)
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Fluency in English and your native language
Selection Process
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Round 1 – Online application. Fill in English or Hindi.
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Round 2 – Recorded video
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Round 3 - Video interview
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Round 4 - Knowing through references
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Round 5 – Pre-arrival exploration
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Round 6 – Announcement of Earth Education Fellows
“Through this program, I’ve been able to develop self-belief and also make friends across regions, religions, communities, and language boundaries. Even with their inability to understand my words, it was possible. I got uncomfortable and that’s how I learned something new. I think this will not just help me, but the children and community I’m going to be working with in the years to come.”
Rohit Varma, Jharkhand, India.