Bringing It #83: BT2P at Elon, Plus Important Opportunities for Green Activism
Dear friends,
We hope this letter finds you doing well. It’s been a busy two weeks since we last wrote to you. We’re happy to share with you some updates from our journeys at Elon University as well as information about how students and recent graduates can get involved with the wonderful and important work that the folk at the Rachel Carson Council are engaged in.
Paradigm Project – Campus Conversation
On Friday, April 1st BT2P had the opportunity to engage with colleagues at Elon University during a Campus Conversation. At this event we provided a brief introduction to BT2P and its history of grant-giving, community building, and changemaking before shifting gears to discuss the next phase of our work: The Paradigm Project. During this conversation, we also had the opportunity to hear from faculty on campus about what concerns they have about the state of higher ed today and what issues they wish were being addressed.
As we continue working to develop new models of holistic, inclusive, engaged learning to catalyze systemic change—not simply piecemeal innovation—across higher education we want to continue this conversation within this community. If you would like to share your ideas about what changes are needed in higher ed, please reach out to David at [email protected].
Continuing Our Relationship with Elon University
We are delighted to announce that Elon University and Bringing Theory to Practice have agreed to extend our hosting agreement through the end of the 2025 academic year. As readers of Bringing It may remember, BT2P moved to Elon in the summer of 2020. We were eager to be on a campus so resonant with the values and goals of our work. Despite our moving at the height of the pandemic, the university has offered a welcoming and supportive home for us. Many Elon students, staff, and faculty colleagues contribute to our work, and BT2P staff teach, mentor, and serve on a variety of committees and working groups. We are grateful for the partnership.
The launch of the Paradigm Project and the generous funding it has received from the Endeavor Foundation now enables us to extend that partnership. Elon will remain BT2P’s host institution through the 2025 academic year (and, we hope, beyond). We are excited to be based at a university whose commitment to engaged, experiential, and student-centered education embodies much of what the Paradigm Project aims to advance. It is good news that this next chapter in the work of BT2P will also bring a new chapter in our connection with Elon.
Get Involved with the Rachel Carson Council: Student Fellowships & Job Opportunities
Our friends at the Rachel Carson Council, a national environmental sustainability initiative, have announced exciting opportunities for undergraduates and recent grads. RCC is offering Fellowships that provide a $2,000 stipend, a free 5-day American Environmental Leadership Institute, and year-long remote mentoring for undergraduates engaged in a range of environmental projects or campaigns on their own campus and community. Ideal for students committed to civic engagement and justice, these twenty-five Fellowships will be awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year. Food insecurity and hunger, divestment, community solar, podcasts, and more are some of what prior RCC Fellows have been engaged in.
The Rachel Carson Council also has two new job openings for those graduating, or recent grads looking to get that first job to jump start their career. The deadline to apply is April 15. Please let your students who may be interested know about these opportunities.
If you have news, projects, or opportunities that you’d like to share with the BT2P community, please send a message to [email protected].
Thank you for staying in touch, contributing to our work, and for all that you do,
David, Gianna, Kelly, & Todd