Important update to Fellowship Teams Program

Due to funding challenges, we have made the tough but necessary decision to scale back programming and take certain services offline. This includes temporarily pausing the Fellowship Team program. You can read more about changes in programming here.

Is your community being negatively impacted by pollution, environmental disasters, locally unwanted industry, harmful land/water use practices, or climate change impacts?

Are you seeking resources or financial support for local environmental monitoring?

Are you curious about learning new tools and methods organizing local environmental action where you are?

Is there a need to cultivate a network of support around your community's environmental concerns?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, we're interested in hearing from you! Public Lab's Fellowship Teams program is set up to move your local environmental health concern to the next level! We've launched the Fellowship Teams program to help frontline community organizers around the world work on their local environmental concerns and collaborate with a network of supporters. Whether you're new to working on environmental monitoring issues, or are a long time community environmental advocate, we want to hear from you.

The Community Organizer Fellow Details:

• Commitment Period: 9-10 month fellowship with biweekly meetings
• Fellowship Stipend: $10,000 USD in total over the commitment period
• Project budget: $2,000 USD for monitoring budget per project team
• Required technology: You will need access to a personal laptop/computer for the duration of the fellowship, access to the internet, and the ability to work remotely with others. Public Lab provides the team with access to online communication and collaboration platforms (Zoom and PublicLab.org).
• Where: Remote and local---the community science project will be situated locally to you, but you may collaborate with project team members remotely.

The major goals of these Fellowships are to:

• Advance a local community environmental concern with Public Lab community science and environmental monitoring methods (examples: water quality, plastic pollution, toxic smells, etc). And learn along the way!
• Center your voice and your community needs. Community Organizers outline the fellowship goals for the rest of the cohort and for the community science project with Public Lab.
• Grow your network with scientists, technologists, and/or organizers working on environmental health issues. We will help you reach others with the skills needed to move this project idea to reality! Collectively, we will share resources to advance your local environment concern.
• Collaborate on the Public Lab platform. By sharing your experiences along the way, knowledge of best practices, and methods on PublicLab.org you will elevate your communities' stories and help create pathways for other communities facing similar issues to get started! Our website serves as a digital organizing hub. Public Lab provides training for using the website and assistance with documenting your work.

This role may be for you if you are:

• Dedicated to a local environmental concern that has negatively impacted your community and are seeking resources (i.e. tools, support resources, project funds, and a stipend).
• Excited and ready to start: You can devote time to a local monitoring project for an 8-9 month period; on a flexible, part-time basis.
• Team-oriented and visionary: You seek to work collaboratively with colleagues, envision and promote systemic change within your community, and are looking to connect with others to address environmental concerns.
• A humble collaborator: You're enthusiastic about organizing with people from a multitude of backgrounds, from diverse academic or work fields, and those that have lived experiences that may be different than your own.
• Self-directed: You are driven to build and find solutions to share back with your community. You can organize work flows, set and meet your own internal milestones, and communicate regularly and often when help is needed.

Interested in learning more? Have a project idea? Need help?

If you're a community organizer interested in this fellowship program and need help narrowing down your project idea, or are unsure about filling out the application form, let us know! The Public Lab team is here to help.

• Join us at Open Call, which occurs each week, and spark a conversation! Learn how to join a call here. No pre-registration required.
• Need to meet at another time? Schedule a time to meet with the Public Lab team. Please contact us directly by emailing (organizing@publiclab.org). In the subject line please use Community Organizer 1:1. Please allow up to three business days to respond and coordinate a time to meet.

Read about Community Organizing Fellow Selection Criteria Here

Public Lab is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. We encourage people with different ability sets, people of color, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities to apply.