Deadline: 14-Jul-23
In collaboration with Xylem Watermark, EarthEcho invites youth in the United States to join the growing community of EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassadors!
The Ambassadors equip a network of youth with the tools and training to lead community science and watershed protection projects leveraging the EarthEcho Water Challenge. Ambassadors collaborate and learn alongside their peers, conduct community water monitoring programs with local youth, and use their experiences to take direct action to protect local water resources.
Protect the water planet as an EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassador! Through this unique experience, Ambassadors become community scientists and lead ongoing water quality monitoring efforts through the EarthEcho Water Challenge, a global water quality monitoring program that has engaged 1.6 million participants in 146 countries. Ambassadors collaborate with and learn from a network of young people passionate about protecting local waterways and lead events to educate their communities about the importance of waterway conservation.
Focus
- EarthEcho is committed to implementing100 youth-led water improvement projects with support from the Water Challenge Ambassadors. Water improvement projects should focus on:
- Education
- Conservation
- Community Engagement and Advocacy
- Other improvement projects that creates lasting change.
Opportunities
- As an EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassador you will have the opportunity to:
- Gain support and resources to lead ongoing water improvement projects in your community
- Collaborate and network with other young people and adult mentors across the country who are passionate about water conservation
- Serve in a youth leadership role representing the EarthEcho Water Challenge, receiving support and resources to help mobilize your peers to take conservation action by monitoring and protecting local water resources
- Represent the EarthEcho Water Challenge at local events and engage your community in contributing to a global effort to protect water resources
- Receive training and leadership opportunities offered by fellow youth leaders, EarthEcho partners, and EarthEcho staff, including co-founder Philippe Cousteau
- Provide guidance to the EarthEcho Water Challenge program to help shape future youth leadership opportunities focused on water quality monitoring and conservation
- Receive recognition for your EarthEcho Water Challenge accomplishments through stories and features on EarthEcho International’s online platforms
- Collaborate with fellow Ambassadors and the EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council on the national and global water initiatives
- Ambassadors will also be encouraged to participate in and join GenSea, EarthEcho’s Youth community through their online platform.
- Ambassadors are expected to commit to these responsibilities for a term from August – June. Upon successful completion of these responsibilities, Ambassadors will be invited to expand their leadership role within this program by serving as a Senior Water Challenge Ambassador for up to two additional years.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following qualifications and essay questions are required as part of the 2023 Water Challenge Ambassador Application process. Each applicant must:
- Be between the ages of 14-22 at the time of application
- Be a resident of the United States
- Demonstrate an interest in water quality and youth leadership
- Have experience working collaboratively with youth and adults
- Desire to participate in the EarthEcho Water Challenge and lead water improvement projects in their own community
- Have strong written and verbal communication skills in the English language.
- When completing your application, you will be asked to answer the following essay questions to share additional information about yourself, your interest in the work of the EarthEcho Water Challenge, and your leadership skills (250 words maximum per question). Alternatively, you may choose to upload a video response to all three questions, not exceeding four minutes in recorded length. They encourage you to save your written responses in a separate document or complete and upload your video to your computer prior to starting the online application.
Responsibilities
- EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassadors represent EarthEcho International by collaborating with fellow Ambassadors to monitor local waterways and engage communities in taking action to protect water resources. As an EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassador you will:
- Participate in a virtual training with fellow Ambassadors and EarthEcho staff at the beginning of the term in August, (All applicants should hold August 12-13 weekend dates on their calendar to prepare for the training)
- Contributing 2-4 hours a month to the work of the ambassadorship during their term.
- Participate in monthly virtual training opportunities to gain skills in water science/conservation and project planning while connecting with and learning from your fellow Ambassadors
- Personally testing the water quality of a local body of water once a month
- Upload all water quality data
- Create a blog or piece of digital/social media content highlighting your water improvement projects, a water quality issue, or solution
- Share photos and content from monitoring activities via e-mail on a regular basis
- Water Challenge Ambassadors will organize 2-3 water improvement projects to protect their local waterway or surrounding community on or around the Anniversary of the Clean Water Act (October 18), World Water Day (March 22), Earth Day (April 21), or World Ocean Day (June 8) – Project planning training/support and EarthEcho Water Challenge test kits provided by EarthEcho International.
- Working with fellow Ambassadors from Puerto Rico, Spain, and Mexico. In collaboration with Xylem Watermark and community partners to lead watershed conservation initiative by the end of June 2024.
For more information, visit EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassadors.
