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Gibbs Fellowship
The Clean Air Coalition of Western New York believes that leadership development among our grassroots base is critical to building an effective environmental health movement in our region. The Lois Gibbs Fellowship therefore focuses on building activists’ skills and fostering relationships between grassroots actors and decision makers.
The Lois Gibbs Fellowship is a selective, 7-month program (from March – October 2012) that provides a diverse set of emerging citizen leaders with the tools and training to build sustained political will to improve the environment and health in Western New York neighborhoods.
The program is named in honor of Lois Gibbs, a grassroots environmental justice advocate from Western New York. Lois is the founder of the Love Canal Homeowners Association and an internationally renowned environmental health and justice advocate. She is best known for her successful campaign to relocate families living on top of a toxic waste dump in Niagara Falls. Lois Gibbs is emblematic of the program’s philosophy: ordinary individuals can make an extraordinary difference when they organize.
^ Buffalo News Article” – Gibbs Fellowship in Buffalo News (1/2011)
Program Details:
The Lois Gibbs Fellowship is designed to fit the schedules of working people and people with other organizational affiliations.
The fellowship includes the following core components:
- Monthly skills training and mentorship calls
- The development of a policy action plan for Fellows issues
- Opportunities for social networking within the environmental community,
- government agencies, the press and academic institutions.
- A weekend retreat
Over the course of one year, the Lois Gibbs Fellowship provides rich training opportunities in the following areas:
- Developing effective messages and media outreach
- Strategic campaign planning and power mapping
- Holding elected officials accountable
- Grassroots lobbying
- New media
- Corporate and Government research
- Engaging faith-based communities
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a full-time program?
The Lois Gibbs Fellowship is designed as a part-time program that can accommodate people who are working full-time.
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The Lois Gibbs Fellowship is a program for ambitious leaders. Developing a comprehensive set of skills and connections necessary to build sustained political will requires a commitment on each Fellow’s part. Applicants should be ready to commit to using the skills they develop to work on policy work.
What are the core requirements for application to the Lois Gibbs Fellowship?
Lois Gibbs Fellows are required to participate in the following activities over the course of the 7-month program:
- 1 monthly skills and knowledge based training (trainings take place on Saturdays)
- 1 monthly mentorship calls with Clean Air Coalition staff
- Regular participation in Clean Air Coalition campaigns – including making phone calls to policy makers,
- A weekend retreat in April (April 28-29th)
- Develop and implement an action plan for the fellow’s issue
How much does the fellowship cost? What does that fee cover?
The fellowship has no fee.
How do I apply for the Fellowship?
To apply for the Lois Gibbs Fellowship, download the application form and send it to the Clean Air Coalition, 341 Delaware Ave, Buffalo NY 14202 or email the form to Rebecca@cacwny.org
The deadline for 2012 Fellowship is February 15th.
What Have Previous Fellows Said About the Fellowship?
“It helped me to define where I’m going. I know what I want to do and now I have the skills to do it”
“The Fellowship helped me be more assertive- and even border line aggressive”
“I have had multiple one on one meetings with community members since the training, and I have felt significantly better prepared.”
“After the media training, I never thought about putting quotes in press releases before- I now have a new take on writing press releases.
2011 Fellows with Lois Gibbs