What did you have for lunch?
By: Jada Garofalo
This past Monday, Campus2Congress launched its second C2C Exclusive—the Leadership 4 Lunch conference call. Leaders from four renowned institutions joined us for a discussion about the opportunities they offer to aspiring young change-makers like you! Keep reading for a breakdown of the organizations featured on our call, but first:
A very important announcement!
Campus2Congress is now accepting scholarship applications for existing C2C Fellows to attend either the StartingBloc Institute’s summer workshop in NYC (June 6-10), or one of Wellstone Action’s upcoming Camp Wellstone trainings (varied dates and locations):
- Applications due by March 29th
- StartingBloc scholarship covers $1000 tuition fee and up to $300 of related travel expenses
- Wellstone Action scholarship covers $300 tuition fee and up to $400 of related travel expenses
- Scholarships awarded on April 1st
Don’t miss this amazing leadership opportunity available exclusively to C2C Fellows — apply today!
So, let’s break it down. Get with the discussion by listening to the L4L podcast, which featured:
LORA STOYANOVA, StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation
Lora is part of StartingBloc’s fellowship herself and spoke about the organization’s success in bringing together social innovators from over 65 countries across various sectors using a community approach to drive change. Here are some details about the workshops:
- 5-day transformative experience focusing on social entrepreneurship, sustainability, and lasting change
- Attendees range in age from 18-30
- Lifelong fellowship membership
- Connection with a global community: 14 chapters worldwide, 1800 fellows, more than 221 universities
- Access to pro bono legal and financial services for those who have started their own organizations.
Check out this promo video on the State of the StartingBloc to find out more.
JENNIFER HAUT-PROKOP, Camp Wellstone Action
Camp Wellstone is a 10 year old non-profit that offers political and activism campaign planning trainings around the country. Founded in Senator Paul Wellstone’s honor by his two surviving sons and his campaign advisor, the organization strives to train people how to effectively run for office. Open to the public, these trainings feature participants with a wide range of experience, age, background, and demographics. The program features:
- 8-10 camps per year across the country
- Weekend trainings
- Three breakout tracks:
1. Grassroots advocacy: local, community, or non-profit; individual and leadership teams; strategic planning; moving issues and agenda; lobbying; types of leaders
2. Campaign: tailoring campaign skill sets; electoral issues and ballot measures; how to deliver an effective message; coalition building; door knocking; volunteer recruitment; campaign timeline
3. Candidate: trainings for people currently running for office or who plan to; crafting a speech; fundraising; and the politics of conviction
JOSHUA KAHN RUSSEL, 350.org Workshops
350.org congregates two-day leadership development workshops nationally hosted by local 350.org leaders and by partners, friends, and allies. Something new with 350: trainings on nonviolent civil disobedience surrounding the issues of divestment and the Keystone Pipeline are coming to a city near you. The goals of the 350.org Workshops are to help shift mindsets and to create an acceptable method for protest, while identifying the best avenue through which to deliver campaign strategies. So far, the Civil Disobedience Tour has gathered hundreds of people to protest the pipeline route. The Rainforest Action Network and a few other organizations have pledged civil disobedience if the pipeline is built. Communication and team-building, moving agendas and campaigning, organizing skills and grassroots work are what 350.org’s trainings are all about.
CHRISTOPHER KUNTZSCH, Ecology of Leadership
Christopher Kunztzch joined us from the Regenerative Design Institute in the San Francisco bay area. He describes Ecology of Leadership as a program based on permaculture education, introducing nature awareness and an opportunity to get your hands dirty, to learn about your ancestral roots and to experience yourself again as part of the natural world. The Ecology of Leadership program focuses on re-connecting with nature and using the strength of that connection to overcome challenges, both personal and professional. The Regenerative Design Institute offers a place for change makers to find their own path while becoming more aware of their own personal barriers. The program offers a 5 month journey, meeting for one weekend each month.
Topics covered include:
- Leadership effectiveness
- Communication and project management
- Judgments/expectations/assumptions
Join us again in a few months for another C2C Exclusive, conversations featuring sustainability perspectives and professionals exclusively for the C2C Fellows Network. Eat those Vegetables. Live that leadership.
Jada Garofalo is a climate science and environmental policy graduate student at the Bard Center for Environmental Policy. She is also a program assistant for the C2C Fellows program.
