The aspen forum for community solutions (AFCS) and opportunity youth forum (OYF) support community collaboration - including collective impact - that enables communities to effectively address their…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $150,000 cooperative agreement through the Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance program (CFDA 15.664) to the Aspen Institute, Inc. (doing business as the Aspen Institute) to expand the Native Youth Climate Adaptation Leaders Congress (NYCALC). The Aspen Institute will partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a leadership development track for Native college-aged junior faculty to implement with high school NYCALC participants. This will enhance cultural competency, understanding of regional tribes, communication skills, and awareness of cultural beliefs among federal staff engaged with the NYCALC program. The award period is from May 14, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

The aspen forum for community solutions (AFCS) and opportunity youth forum (OYF) support community collaboration - including collective impact - that enables communities to effectively address their most pressing challenges. AFCS works to accomplish this mission by pursuing four complementary strategies including: 1) building awareness by documenting and lifting up impactful strategies and stories of success 2) mobilizing stakeholders through knowledge and network development 3) removing barriers by advocating for effective policy and, 4) catalyzing investment by encouraging funder partnerships. The OYF is the first funding collaborative developed and led by the forum for community solutions. Fresh tracks proposes a partnership with nycalc. Nycalc is the first step in the healing process that federal agencies can engage in to create meaningful relationships with tribes through engaging and empowering the next generation of native youth. Fresh tracks proposes a partnership with the U.S. Fish and wildlife service to support the nycalc to create a strong foundation to engage, motivate, inspire, and empower the next generation and the generations that follow. The scope of this proposal is outlined below, and fresh tracks is requesting $150,000.00 to meet these objectives. Nycalc was created with the goal of empowering emerging high school native youth leaders to address conservation challenges that were occurring within their home communities. The purpose of this proposal is to support the expansion of nycalc to include leadership development for native college-aged JR. Faculty. Fresh tracks role in this partnership would be to curate facilitate the leadership development track and provide mentoring training to this cohort that they would then implement with nycalc high school students by developing a trainers team based in a peer to peer model. The development of this partnership is geared to ensure cultural competency from federal staff present at nycalc and will provide better understanding of regional tribes, improve communication skills, and develop awareness and sensitivity to different cultural beliefs.