Announcing the LEAD the Coast Fellowships

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LEAD the Coast Fellowship Announcement and Application

Deadline is September 5th

Foundation for Louisiana’s (FFL) LEAD the Coast is now offering a unique opportunity to graduates of the LEAD the Coast training program who want to further develop their skills and work to improve their communities. The LEAD the Coast Fellowship provides selected graduates with a mentor, skills-building workshops, and resources to collaborate in developing a project to achieve equitable solutions on land loss, flood risk, or restoration of communities and economies. The Fellowship seeks individuals interested in taking climate action to support change in their communities. This is a six-month program that provides a $4,000 stipend to each graduate selected to participate in the LEAD the Coast Fellowship.

Applications for the LEAD the Coast Fellowship must be submitted by September 5, 2019. Applicants will be notified by email if they have been selected to participate in the fellowship by September 15, 2019. The fellowship starts with an orientation workshop at a date to be determined in October, 2019.

Only graduates of the four-day LEAD the Coast training programs are eligible to apply.

THE PROGRAM

The purpose of the LEAD the Coast Fellowship is to develop trust, relationships, and networks that build movements and strategies for equitable solutions on land loss, flood risk and restoration of communities and economies through education, research, and advocacy. The fellowship combines advanced leadership instruction, mentoring, and project development support.

What you can expect in the LEAD the Coast Fellowship:

  • support from a mentor assigned to you;
  • meeting diverse community leaders from throughout the region;
  • skills sharing in a workshop setting with experts from a variety of fields;
  • resource and network building opportunities with partners, instructors and mentors;
  • a stipend of $4,000 for active participation, disbursed in two $2,000 payments at the start and end of the fellowship;
  • a shared stipend of $5,000 in support of an individual or group project; and
  • a structured experience designed to aid in the development of leadership skills, project development, and advanced learning.

REQUIREMENTS

Anyone who has completed the four-day LEAD the Coast sessions offered between 2016 and 2019 is encouraged to apply for the LEAD the Coast Fellowship. There will be five persons selected to participate in the LEAD the Coast Fellowship. LEAD the Coast Committee members, except for youth participants, are not eligible to apply.

The ideal candidate for the LEAD the Coast Fellowship will possess the following characteristics and qualities:

  • a person who demonstrates a strong interest in advancing social change or movement building
  • a person who demonstrates a strong interest in building democracy
  • a person who demonstrates an ability to build trust in networks, associations, or other collaborative relationships that serve a community; and
  • a person who demonstrates an ability to initiate action in communion with others

EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS

Persons selected to participate in the LEAD the Coast Fellowship are expected to:

  • commit to actively participate in the six-month fellowship, from October 2019 to March 2020
  • attend all workshops that will be scheduled once a month for a period of six months;
  • meet with assigned mentor on a regular basis, at least ten total contact hours beginning on the second month of the fellowship that includes at least two total hours of in-person meetings;
  • take initiative in developing an individual or group project, aspects of which can be conducting research, engaging and securing potential partners, fine-tuning an existing idea or plan for a project, developing a 12-month startup plan, etc.

For individual and group projects, participants will be required to build consensus on how to proceed with projects and work with the LEAD the Coast Committee to establish the process for funding.

If a person selected to participate in the fellowship cannot complete the fellowship, a substitute will be selected from the applicants.

THE APPLICATION

We have taken a unique approach to the application process. We want to know your leadership story. We have provided three questions below that we would like answered in your leadership story. Feel free to be creative in telling your story and sharing additional information that you believe would be helpful for us to know.

  1. Where do you live in Louisiana and what is your vision for your community?
  2. How are you working to make your community a better place?
  3. How would participating in the LEAD the Coast Fellowship help you do more for your community?

You can submit your leadership story in the following ways:

  • An essay that is no more than 1,000 words
  • A video or audio recording that is up to 3 minutes in length

Click here to access the application and submission portal.

E-mail Caressa Chester at cchester@foundationforlouisiana.org for any questions. If you are unable to submit online please mail or fax your application to:

Foundation for Louisiana

Attn: LEAD the Coast Fellowship Applications

1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 200

New Orleans, LA  70130

Fax: 504-336-3451

The deadline for submitting your application is Thursday, September 5, 2019.