Apply for CoalitionWILD EXCELerator Program

The EXCELerator program is a rigorous 6-month capacity building and leadership development training for young people who have an idea of an environmental project tackling an issue facing an ecosystem, wildlife, community, culture, or their livelihood.

Project ideas can be just that, ideas that they would like to elaborate further in order to start implementing, but they can also be projects in the early stages of their implementation, or projects that are being implemented in the longer run and that have the potential to scale up. Accepted project ideas can be implemented in any country of the world, and they can verse about any environmentally-related challenge.

Throughout the program, participants are equipped with the technical knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement and communicate their project ideas. Furthermore, they are offered the opportunity to connect with other participants of the cohort who may be developing their projects in a very different reality from theirs and with a very different focus. The program has a great focus on peer learning and peer support since they believe youth have very relevant knowledge, experiences and ideas to bring to the table, and being in a safe space where their contributions are valued empowers them to become active leaders in providing solutions and inspiring others to do so too.

What can be expected from the program?

• Program will be facilitated through a learning platform (Thinkific), which will remain open and available to all participants for the duration of the program (from November 2023 to April 2024).
• Access to 14 recorded sessions led by expert speakers delving into project development and management, fundraising and grant writing, effective communication, and much more! These sessions will have a duration of between 30 to 60 minutes, presentation slides will be available for download and each session will also include follow-up resources for program participants to further their learnings.
• Discussion forums to interact with other program participants by sharing the key concepts learned in each recorded session, asking questions about the sessions, but also to share the work they are doing in their own countries, with their own projects.
• Downloadable toolkits and resources. During their time in the EXCELerator, participants will have access to a continually updated and curated list of resources for them to download and utilize for the benefit of them and their project.
• Opportunity to receive an official Certificate of Completion from the program to showcase what they have achieved throughout the six months.
• Access to global opportunities for funding, networking and having their project and work spotlighted in CoalitionWILD social media and WILD Voices blog.

Participants undertaking the EXCELerator LIVE program will

• Have access to 15 live sessions, facilitated by the CoalitionWILD team, where they will have the opportunity to apply the key concepts learnt during the recorded sessions to their own projects through the study in groups of case studies. During these sessions, participants will also have the space to share their progress about their projects, and thoughts about the recorded sessions, but also to engage in exercises that will bring them one step closer to the implementation of their initiative. Live sessions are designed to be interactive, therefore they will encourage participants to participate, ask questions, and bring their perspectives to the sessions.
• Develop several tasks to translate learnings into action. Some recorded sessions will have a follow-up task associated with them. These are to help participants to implement and integrate the tips, practices, and information learned from the sessions into their projects and everyday life.
• Have access to a peer-learning scheme, where 2-4 EXCELerator participants will be grouped taking into account their regional and thematic focus, in order to be able to work together with their group and support each other throughout their journey.

Phases

• Phase: 1
  • Preparing and Planning your Project for Success
    • Assessing the Situation: Defining Your Problem.
    • Developing a Theory of Change.
    • Developing SMART Goals and Project Indicators.
• Phase: 2
  • Achieving Financial Sustainability and Using Resources Efficiently
    • Planning and Budgeting for Maximum Impact.
    • Fundraising Basics and Going Beyond Financial Needs.
    • Grant Writing and Strategy.
    • Project Sustainability.
• Phase: 3
  • Building Strong Partnerships and Genuine Community Engagement
    • Stakeholder Engagement.
• Phase: 4
  • Effective communications and storytelling
    • Social Media and Outreach.
    • How to Develop a Communications Plan for Your Project?
    • Brand Strategy.
    • Public Speaking, Developing your Pitch and Communicating your Message.
• Phase: 5
  • Becoming a Leader
    • Global Impact Navigator: Unlocking the Power of International Policy Frameworks.
    • Effective Leadership: Team and Volunteer Management.

Who can apply to the program?

They are looking forward to reading from you if you are interested in being part of this journey with them. In order to be eligible for the program, you need to:

• Be 35 years of age or younger at the start of the program (November 2, 2023).
• Have a project idea, a project on its early implementation or a project with the potential to scale up within the environmental field.
• Have the energy to dedicate to the development of their project idea, thus having the availability of completing the training in any of its modalities.
• Have a computer and reliable internet connection to access the program’s learning platform and be able to watch the recorded sessions (as well as the live sessions, if you are applying for the EXCELerator LIVE program).
• For the EXCELerator LIVE program: Availability to participate in the live sessions throughout the six months of the program, happening on Thursdays between 12.30 to 14.00 UTC.

For more information, visit CoalitionWILD.