Call for Adopt a Negotiator Rio+20 Fellows

Do you want to join our team in Rio for the upcoming Rio+20 Summit?
We’re now announcing a call for applications for our Rio+20 Adopt a Negotiator Fellowships.

WHAT DOES A FELLOW DO?

Our goal is to use the Rio+20 Summit to inspire people around the world to pay attention and participate in national and international efforts to address climate change. We aim to support a powerful youth movement by helping raise a diverse and collective youth voice; claiming young people’s place as major stakeholders in the outcomes of this summit and the work beyond. We aim to build and sustain pressure on decision-makers, demanding that they play constructive roles in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Fellowship recipients will receive support to attend and participate in the upcoming Rio+20 Summit from June 8th - June 23rd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Each fellow will work with staff from the Global Campaign for Climate Action and our alliance partners to identify how best they can combine their passion for climate change solutions, their excellent communications skills, the expertise and objectives of our alliance partners, and their participation in Rio+20 to meet these goals.

Fellows will publicly track the role of governments in formal Rio+20 negotiations and the many important conversations and activities happening beyond the conference walls.

WHAT QUALITIES ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

You are a great communicator - You are excellent at turning the complex and hard to communicate events happening each day into compelling, accessible, inspiring, engaging and actionable communications across multiple channels and mediums. Our primary tool is online writing - and you must be a skilled blogger - but mastery of other web communications tools (facebook, twitter, youtube, etc.) could be important. For Rio, we’re especially interested in your ability to tap into popular and mainstream media channels with large and relevant audiences like newspapers, magazines and radio shows.

You understand the landscape - Ideal candidates will have a deep understanding of the connection between climate change and politics in their country and internationally. They’ll know the history of UN efforts to address climate change and promote sustainability. They’ll understand how climate change impacts and climate change solutions will affect people in their country and internationally.

You’ve got empathy - You understand how climate change impacts and solutions will affect individual people’s lives - whether it’s security, health, livelihood, cost of living, opportunity, etc - and you can tap into that empathy as you communicate with various audiences.

You’re brave - In a short amount of time, each Fellowship recipient must personally get to know their country’s negotiators and other decision-makers; figure out how to get their ideas and opinions out to media in their home country (and internationally); and take public stands on complicated issues.

You’re dedicated - You’re willing to pour yourself into this opportunity in the weeks leading-up to Rio, as well as during the long days of the summit itself. It’s difficult work with impacts that are often hard to see.

You’re fast - You must be able to rapidly respond to events and opportunities inside the official negotiations and out.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested and able to join our team in Rio de Janairo, June 8th - June 23rd, please send us:

• a pitch (in 600 words or less) explaining how you embody the qualities we’re looking for and how you would make the best of this opportunity;
• a writing sample (written for a blog or news publication, approximately 800 words or less) convincing us that you have the communications skills to track, engage and inspire.

Convince us that your participation will inspire people in your country and around the world to get involved in climate solutions. Convince us that your participation will lead to increased pressure on decision-makers. Convince us that awarding you a Rio+20 Fellowship will lead to a significant and lasting impact in the fight against climate change.

The deadline for submissions is April 30th. We won’t necessarily wait until April 30th before awarding fellowships and may fill all available slots before that date - so speed is of the essence.

Good luck, and I look forward to hearing from you.

- Joshua Wiese
Project Director, Adopt a Negotiator