 | arizona association for Environmental Education |
eeFELLOWS PROGRAM
| The AAEE eeFellows Program is a career-development program for young professionals aged 18-23 designed to advance our profession. Participants work with organizations on critical environmental education projects and design a portfolio of work. Participants are paired with a mentor working in the field and together complete an action-based project that can be added to the eeFellow's portfolio. |
Through this Fellowship experience participants gain:
- skills in creating formal or non-formal education programs with measurable results
- an understanding of how to create quality and meaningful environmental education experiences for people
- skills for organizing professional work
- and access to other tools needed to be a skilled ee provider
Participant Benefits and Requirements
For the 2023-2024 Program Year eeFellows will receive the following benefits (a total value of $1315):
- A one-year Professional Membership in the Arizona Association for Environmental Education ($60 value)
- Two free conference registrations for the Annual AAEE Conference held each September ($450-$600 value)
- An eeCertification upon successful completion of the eeCertification Course learning modules ($305 value)
- A stipend for service/work performed ($500 value)
- Access to one-on-one mentorship and resume assistance
In exchange, eeFellows are required to complete the following:
- Attend regularly scheduled meetings with your mentor and the eeFellow program team members
- Regularly communicate with your mentor and AAEE Team Members
- Complete the eeCertification Course, including the final action project which you will work on with your mentor
- Attend and deliver a final presentation at the AAEE Conference held each in September
- Participate in a Guidelines for Excellence Workshop hosted by AAEE (in December and/or March of each year)
- Assist with the planning of the 2024 spring AAEE online professional development series
eeFellows should budget approximately 10 hours per month to complete this work, beginning in September 1 and ending on October 31 the following year.
AAEE strives to be responsive to the values and changing needs of young people in our field. We do not wish to perpetuate old stereotypes about our profession. We've worked hard to develop a strategic plan that is forward thinking and responsive to the changing understanding of environmental education and environmental justice across sectors and seek to provide emerging professionals with the tools to work to deliver change in systems in which they choose to work. |
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SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE NEXT COHORT eeFellow applications are accepted on a rolling basis every year through July 15th. At this time, we are only able to enroll 3 students a year for this process. Applications will be reviewed after July 15, and participants will be notified by August 1 of their acceptance status. The fellowship runs from September 1 through the following year, ending on September 30th. All work must be completed by the September 30th deadline. |
2022-2023 eeFellows
Dannie Blakeley - eeFellow
| Dannie (he/they) grew up on the homelands of the Yavapai people, in Prescott, Arizona, and continues to live there. Originally planning on being a nurse, Dannie spent his first few years of college studying and working as a CNA. Being a nursing assistant taught Dannie the importance of human connection and communication, he mainly worked one-on-one with nonverbal members of his community. Dannie is deeply passionate about empathy, kindness, and equity because of his experiences. However, this job field was no longer serving him, so Dannie decided to switch gears and pursue environmental education. He is currently an Americorps VISTA at Prescott’s Community Nature Center as a program coordinator and Park Ranger. In this position Dannie does weekly programming with K-6 grade, often sharing his love of birding and nature art with students. |
Samuel Paddock - eeFellow
| Samuel (he / him) is a relative newcomer to the world of environmental education, unofficially starting his path in this field when he accepted a position as a zookeeper at the end of 2020. During his time in this role, he quickly discovered that his favorite part of the job was the education aspect. Samuel would regularly give impromptu programs to the public regarding the animals that were in his care. While he did eventually move on from the zookeeper profession into the lumber industry, education was always in the back of his mind. Following his interests, he applied and accepted a position as a seasonal Natural and Historical Interpreter with Missouri State Parks in 2022. He ultimately fell further in love with teaching people about the subject he cared most about, and knew he wanted to continue his path in this field. Thus when his term with Missouri State Parks came to a close, he applied to work as an environmental educator and City of Prescott Park Ranger with the Community Nature Center in Prescott, Arizona. Here he has found his footing in this field, and has taken the steps to better himself professionally by starting the path to finish his degree and has begun to work on his Environmental Education Certification through the Arizona Association for Environmental Educators. |
Jordan Sene - eeFellow
| Jordan (she/her) is a 22 year old young professional from Rio Rico, Arizona who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability in 2022 and soon with a Master of Sustainability Solutions degree in 2023 from Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability. For work, Jordan is the Youth Education Program Coordinator at Borderlands Restoration Network. In her role, she coordinates the Borderlands Earth Care Youth (BECY) program, which strives to inspire and train the next generation of land stewards living within the US/Mexico borderlands. During the summer internship-style program, youth work alongside conservation professionals, take on leadership roles, and are empowered to support communities environmentally and socially. Jordan is excited to revamp and connect more environmental education opportunities to youth in neighboring spaces. Jordan is the recipient of the Excellence in EE Award for Outstanding Junior/Young Professional in Environmental Education 2021 for her work with BRN. She’s passionate about supporting youth from rural communities in the borderlands by making sustainability education accessible and fun for them and their families. She is excited about being part of the first eeFellow cohort and has the opportunity to be mentored and become a certified Environmental Educator in Arizona. With this, she is looking forward to working with and nominating many Juniors and Young Professionals for the same award. |
