Agents of Change: A Fellowship Program for Training Emerging Environmental and Climate Justice Leaders

Abstract

Recognizing that there is power in visibility, the Agents of Change Fellowship was launched in 2019 to amplify the voices of early-career researchers whose work-centered environmental justice. To date we have trained 57 fellows from 38 different U.S. based institutions. The goal of the fellowship was to increase diversity of thought and help shape the public dialogue on environmental health sciences, policy, and justice. The 65 essays and 108 podcast episodes produced have reached nearly 2 million people. In addition to increasing visibility, the fellowship program aims to deepen fellows’ familiarity with the movement-building praxis. In this case study we present how this innovative academic-media organization partnership is an important initiative for uplifting the voices and stories of emerging environmental justice leaders. We share the history of the partnership, the design of the curriculum, the program profile, and the barriers to sustaining the program. Overall, we conclude with recommendations for sustaining initiatives and share our vision for future training programs.