Summit
Themes and Sessions
The Emerging Leaders Summit will provide trainings, workshops, panels, and inspirational speakers to connect with participants to build community, gain skills, and share stories through creative expression.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo courtesy of Mark Carrol.
Day 1: CONNECT
Build community through networking, shared skills,and collaboration.
- Breakout spaces for relationship building with environmental leaders, in regional hubs and across affinity spaces
- Direct action trainings and career development sessions on resume writing and reviewing, successful interviewing, applications to usa.gov & the Resource Assistants Program, compassionate communication (nonviolent communication), financial freedom, and more
Day 2: ACT
Climate justice and advocacy steps for being change leaders in your community.
- Skill-based sessions will include technical trainings on GIS, story mapping, and leveraging environmental equity and outdoor access
- Panels include climate justice leaders discussing the Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook, A New Deal for Youth, and #WhyWeCantWait from CLASP’s Changemakers
- Direct action offering participants to apply learned skills through creation of an equity map and offering ideas for action through #JusticeLabs
Day 3: EXPRESS
Participants are invited to get creative through performance, storytelling, and submitting artwork for a virtual art exhibit.
- Powerful performances through dance, song, and expression, using the outdoors and Trail as a muse
- Interactive workshops will include spoken word and improv, nature journaling, watercolor painting, and poetry writing
- Art and poetry exhibit with submitted pieces being chosen for publication in an e-book