Youth in Landscapes Initiative/Global Landscapes Forum Restoration Stewards Program 2022

Deadline: 31 July 2021
Open to: anyone between the age of 18 and 35 years, who has initiated a restoration project in any of the following ecosystems: forest, mountains, oceans, peatlands/wetlands, drylands/rangelands.
Benefits: a grant of 5,000 Euros

Description

Under the banner of Generation Restoration, the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) are launching the second edition of the Restoration Stewards program to support and highlight the work of five young restoration practitioners and their teams, who will represent the next group of ‘Restoration Stewards’.

The year-long program will provide funding, mentorship, and training to deepen the impact of five youth-led restoration projects. During the program, the Restoration Stewards and their teams will be supported to further develop their project and will become ambassadors at both global and local levels. Globally, the Restoration Stewards will share their journey in a series of vlogs and blogs documenting their stories of inspiration and challenges. Locally, they will spark a restoration movement, creating pathways to connect, share, learn, and act for more sustainable landscapes.

Eligibility

Open to anyone between the age of 18 and 35 years old who has initiated a restoration project in any of the following ecosystems: forest, mountains, oceans, peatlands/wetlands, drylands/rangelands.
Applicants must understand, and be willing to adhere to and model, the GLF vision, pillars and values.

Preferred but not mandatory are projects:

Run by a person, a youth-led NGO, or a group of young people who are either local, Indigenous or nationals of the country in which the restoration project operates;
That are already in early stages of development, and have been running for a minimum of one year.

Benefits

The Restoration Stewards will receive support from experts to take the project to the next level, as well as opportunities for professional development. They will receive a grant of 5,000 Euros to develop their restoration project while meeting the following objectives:

Seek and carry out training activities to improve understanding of the landscape approach, and about the relevant ecosystem.
Run a minimum of two GLFx events to engage their local community.
Coordinate with the GLF team for active social media engagement.
Create one story every two months about the progress made in the project.
Meet with, and update on a regularly basis, the GLF team and the assigned mentor about the project’s progress.

How to apply?

Project selection is a competitive process, and as such the application requires some preparation. When you apply, you will be asked the following questions (make sure to prepare the answers in advance!):

About you:

What experience do you have that’s related to restoration? (200 words)
What is your motivation for applying to be a Restoration Steward? (200 words)
Prepare a one-minute video of yourself, in which you share your motivation for applying to be a Restoration Steward. To share the video, either post it to your FB or Twitter account, tagging the Global Landscapes Forum (@GlobalLF) and using the #generationrestoration hashtag, or use an unlisted Youtube or Google Drive link.

About your project:

First, tell them your project’s name (or give it one if it does not have it yet!);
Prepare a description of the landscape you are working on; Why are you working on it, what is the current status and the environmental and social problem encountered? What are the drivers of degradation (if any) and who are key stakeholders? (500 words)
Prepare a holistic summary description of the project (500-1000 words), describing the objectives, activities and intended impact of your restoration project. Please also include how the project aims to restore the landscape with a landscape approach. (500-1000 words);
Prepare a 200-word paragraph answering the following question: “If you become Restoration Steward, where would you see your project in one year’s time, after completion of the Restoration Stewards program?” If you have milestones or targets, feel free to mention them.

Fill in the application form and submit it before Saturday, July 31st 2021.

For more information, please visit the official website.