From Greenpeace Semester Recruitment Coordinator Alexa Markley:
“The Greenpeace Semester changed my life.”
This is a sentence I hear from so many people who’ve participated in our student activist training program, and one that I say all the time when telling people about my own experience in it.
As a former student with the Semester and the current Recruitment Coordinator, I spend most of my days telling people from all over about the Greenpeace Semester. To be honest, I feel pretty lucky because I get to talk about something I truly love and work with people who are passionate about changing the world… as my job. Its a pretty cool gig, and one I was prepared to do because of the training I had in the Semester, but sometimes its hard to fully encompass all that the program has to offer.
If you arent familiar with the program, the Greenpeace Semester is a training program held in Greenpeaces US headquarters in Washington, DC. Participants learn from experts, activists, and change-makers about the most pressing environmental issues we face today, as well as the rich history of Greenpeace. They learn how they can tackle these issues once they go home to their communities with skills trainings and workshop that cover effective campaign planning and community organizing. Students emerge from the program prepared to take on corporate polluters, campaign to make change in their communities and campuses, and inspire their peers to join this movement.
In addition to all of the training and hands-on experience our students receive, the Semester focuses on participant networking and mentorship. I did the Greenpeace Semester in 2009 and I still talk to my classmates and trainers. Its inspiring to see what they are doing now and it reminds me just how important this training program is. These folks are more than colleagues and classmates – in three months, they became some of my closest friends and allies in the environmental movement.
With all this said, I invite you to join us in the Greenpeace Semester: by applying for the program, sending it to the people you know would gain from this experience, or by simply sharing this blog. The application for the second summer session is closing tomorrow, Friday, June 7th, and there are also a few spots open in our fall program. Dont wait – apply for the Greenpeace Semester today and take the next steps to become a leader for the environment.
