2011 Emerging and Innovative Environmental Leaders

In August, ELP held its cross-regional retreat, an opportunity for the 35 Fellows in the 2011 New England and Eastern Regional Networks to come together in Litchfield, CT and engage one another in conversations and shared learning.

The focus for this year's 2nd retreat was on effective storytelling and the use of social media to engage a broader audience in our work.  Stories have always played an important role in our development because they have the ability to create an emotional connection, create a vision of what is possible, allow us to shift others perspective or have our own perspectives challenged.  

Throughout our retreat Fellows learned the importance of developing a portfolio of stories which they may draw from when communicating the success of their organizations, stories that will engage readers or listeners to ask questions for questions are the beginning of the interactive process.  

Unlike traditional media which puts the power of the story telling in the hands of the reporter and the editing team, social media enables us to provide intentionality around what we want our stakeholders to feel and actions we would like them to take. Fellows learned about effectively using Facebook, Twitter, Posterous and other tools for engaging their constituents as well as reaching the next 10% of individuals who should care about their work.

 
"The skill of crafting engaging, persuasive stories and the ability to effectively utilize social media tools are what I need to achieve my goals with customers, co-workers and my constituents. Through ELP I found the confidence to harness work-critical but seldom-understood powers of the narrative and digital frontiers."  

Steve Erario NERN11

Links:

• ELP

It is always exciting to help create innovative and passionate learning communities and at the Environmental Leadership Program that is exactly what we do.

"Community support is vital for personal success, which can then lead to individuals having a great impact in society at large. ELP has given me the community and support I need to help strengthen my personal work and make a greater impact". Amber Joroff, 2011 NERN Fellow

The 15 new Fellows in our New England Regional Network had their orientation retreat May 19 - 22 at the Friendly Crossways Retreat Center in Harvard, MA. This retreat focused on creating a community through a half day of community building exercises and discussions followed by two days of intensive diversity training. The retreat concluded with the formation of work groups to help guide the Fellows' development of their Personal Leadership Plans.

"ELP has give me a new network of incredible people committed to supporting and challenging me as I explore the intersection of my personal and professional life goals. I am honored to be part of this group of leaders." Rouwenna Lamm, 2011 NERN Fellow

In August, the New England Fellows will attend their second ELP retreat and will be joined by 19 Fellows from our Eastern Regional Network. The focus of our second retreat will be on the art of sharing the stories of our work, and the development of the skills needed to effectively share those stories utilizing the web and social networking platforms in particular.

"ELP has created a strong bond between a group of professionals diverse in backgrounds, professional experiences and approaches to environmental issues. While we will continue on our own leadership trajectories, it is with the knowledge that we are now supported by 500 Fellows who share our desire to increase environmental equity for all." Ravi Prasad, 2011 NERN Fellow

Links:

• ELP Home Page
• ELP Webinar Archive