Texas Environmental Fellowship Program (fwd)

["Clement M. Henry" <chenry@mail.la.utexas.edu>]

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Here is an announcement that may interest some of you.

*****************************
Clement M. Henry
Professor of Government
University of Texas at Austin
Austin TX 78712
tel 471-5121, fax 471-1061

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 10:35:03 -0400
From: Luke Metzger <txfield@pirg.org>
To: chenry@mail.utexas.edu
Subject: Texas Environmental Fellowship Program

Professor Henry,

Below you will find more information about the Texas Environmental
Fellowship Program. It is a great new environmental internship program where
students get grassroots organizing training, course-credit and a
$250/semester stipend.

Please forward this on to any interested students. The deadline to apply for
this semester is Friday, Sep. 13. I've also attached a draft of the agenda
for the first training this weekend. All are welcome to attend, but they
must RSVP.

You can also check out the program on the web at:
http://uspirg.org/uspirg.asp?id2=7542&id3=USPIRG&;

Regards,

Luke Metzger

********************************************
Luke Metzger
Texas Field Organizer, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG)
1604 1/2 San Antonio St.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 479-7287 (p)
(512) 479-0400 (f)
(512) 743-8257 (c)
txfield@pirg.org
www.uspirg.org/texas
********************************************

TEXAS ENVIRONMENTAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

TEACHING CITIZENSHIP

The Texas Environmental Fellowship Program is an exciting new program
founded by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) Education
Fund with the generous support of the Houston Endowment and the Hershey
Foundation. It was created to educate Texas college students on the
environmental problems facing the state, train them in skills of
environmental organizing, and provide them with real world experience
working for non-profit environmental groups. This program connects community
groups with badly needed, trained volunteers, helps identify and train
potential staff for these groups, and supports a range of efforts to improve
Texas’ environment, public health and quality of life.

The Texas Environmental Fellowship Program helps students study, learn
about, and act on the pressing environmental challenges facing our state.
Participants learn not only how to investigate a problem and come up with a
practical solution. They learn how to convince the media and decision-makers
to pay attention and take action. Through the Texas Environmental Fellowship
Program, students gain an educational experience in democratic citizenship.
And they get a chance to face up to society’s big problems, take action, and
win concrete changes that improve the quality of our lives.

The Texas Environmental Fellowship Program gives smart, self-directed
college students the opportunity and hands-on- training needed to assume a
high level of responsibility within the environmental movement. Fellows work
side-by-side with Texas’ top environmental researchers, attorneys,
scientists, and advocates on issues such as air pollution, coastal
degradation, loss of open space and urban sprawl, and children’s
environmental health.

Each year, 10 students are selected to participate in the Texas
Environmental Fellowship Program. Fellows earn course-credit and a small
stipend ($250/semester) for their work.

INTERNSHIPS THAT PUT STUDENTS’ EDUCATION TO WORK ON REAL WORLD PROBLEMS

The Texas Environmental Fellowship Program is designed to merge the academic
background of the faculty, the issue expertise of staff, and the idealism of
the student body to promote the good of the community.

Fellows work directly with U.S. PIRG Staff, their faculty sponsor, and the
organization they intern for. Together they create individually tailored
programs around areas of interest, relevant academic requirements, and the
needs of the issue at hand.

“The Texas Environmental Fellowship Program gives students the opportunity
to pursue their academic and research interests while addressing community
problems.”
Professor Richard Murray, University of Houston

“My midterm is organizing a beach clean up. My final is a news conference.
This is more than I expected out of college.
Sarah Gustavus, U.S. PIRG Intern

“The experience students gain through these fellowships not only enhances
the student’s education but serves the public interest well.
Luke Metzger
Texas Environmental Fellowship Program Director

TRAINING

The Texas Environmental Fellowship Program gives you top-notch training to
launch an environmental career. In nine months, we will turn your passion
for environmental change into the concrete skills and experiences it takes
to be a leader in the environmental movement. Our training program includes
classroom trainings and hands-on experience interning on urgent
environmental and public health campaigns. Participation in the program
starts with a three day classroom training in August. FellowFellows learn a
wide range of grassroots organizing skills and a familiarity with campaign
strategy. Participants are offered an introduction to different organizing
models, provided substantive background on environmental issues and the core
campaigns for the year, and engaged in extensive skills training.  The
skills include: Building a Volunteer Group, Fundraising, Increasing Public
Awareness, Securing Media Coverage, Developing a Campaign, and Collaborating
With Other Groups. Additional trainings are held throughout the year to
build on and hone these skills.

INTERNSHIPS

After Introductory Classroom Training is completed, Fellows are assigned to
a work on a campaign for a local environmental group. There are four kinds
of internships.

ORGANIZING INTERNSHIPS
Organizing interns get the opportunity to coordinate an environmental
campaign on their campus or in the community. They work closely with their
Internship supervisor to develop a campaign plan, build coalitions, recruit
volunteers, and organize events.

Recently, interns worked with community organizations in an effort to
establish a network to track toxic chemicals and potential links to chronic
diseases.

RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS
Research interns help analyze environmental problems facing our state and
present solutions that both educate and activate the campus and the
community. They create in-depth reports to educate decision-makers, the
media, and the public about urgent problems.

U.S. PIRG research has documented the rising destruction of wilderness areas
as well the health risks such as pollution levels in Texas’ rivers, streams
and lakes.

GRASSROOTS INTERNSHIPS
Grassroots interns show how public support is integral in winning
environmental campaigns. Interns generate support from the community by
educating the public about important issues and then presenting people with
ways to take action.

Interns played a crucial role in gathering more than 1.2 million public
comments to the Forest Service in an effort to protect 60 million acres of
pristine wilderness in our National Forests.

MEDIA INTERNSHIPS
Media interns use newspapers, television, and radio news to educate the
public about issues that concern them. Interns present research to the
media, and work to ensure that critical environmental issues make the news.

Interns helped organize statewide press coverage of a U.S. PIRG report
documenting the threats chlorine in drinking water poses to pregnant women.
This work led to coverage by 3 radio stations, 4 TV stations, and 6
newspapers.

Texas Environmental Fellows work on solving some of Texas’ most pressing
problems

Clean Air
In order to help fight air pollution, interns focus on organizing campus and
community educational events, researching and releasing reports and
mobilizing public support for clean air solutions.

Clean & Efficient Energy
In conjunction with energy experts, interns study ways that their campus and
communities can become cleaner and more efficient energy users, hold
educational events about energy efficiency measures and work to promote
clean, renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal energy.

Environmental Health
Interns work with public health professionals to document threats to health
posed by pollution

Coastal Protection
Interns work to protect our coast by organizing beach clean-ups, raising
money, and holding town hall meetings to train citizens to be stewards of
their waterways.

Wilderness Protection
In order to ensure the permanent protection of Texas’ wild places, interns
focus on organizing campus and community educational events, watchdogging
local development, releasing reports and mobilizing public support for open
space protection.

Local Public Policy
In addition to the larger campaigns listed above, interns also work on local
projects to monitor air quality

To apply, contact Luke Metzger at (512) 479-7287 or at txfield@pirg.org

TEFP Agenda.doc