opportunities

= ** Events and Opportunities ** =

The primary objective of this page is to inform young professionals about relevant conservation and sustainability events at the national and international levels. To add new event s please write Tania Moreno at tmoreno@uci.ac.cr or Md. Biozid Jessory at biozid99@yahoo.com.

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=**Past Events**=

The **One-Day Biodiversity Conversation for Young Professionals** is an event that will bring together, young professionals to learn, share, get informed, inspired and involved in issues of **biodiversity conversation** **and climate change issues in Nigeria.** The event will also launch the **Biodiversity Young Professional Forum (BYPF)**, a platform where young professionals share and gain knowledge about Nigeria’s endangered biodiversity and all international issues relating to biodiversity conservation and climate change.

"From Leadership to Conservation," Dr Otive Igbuzor Former Country Director, Actionaid International Nigeria will be the Key Speaker during the event. Members of BYPF will have the opportunity to join International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Young Professionals' Network.

BYPF-Nigeria has four strategic objectives:
 * facilitate exchange of information and knowledge among young professionals across disciplines, professions, age and regions;
 * broaden opportunities for young professionals to contribute to strategic Biodiversity policy debates;
 * promote conservation among young people; and
 * facilitate access to resource and capacity building opportunities.

Interested participants are required to send a one-page Expression of Interest including profession, sex, age and location to nigycc@gmail.com on or before Feb 15th 2011. The event is a non-residential event and participants coming outside Abuja will have to take care of thier transportation and accomodation. The event is organised by EarthRISE Foundation and The Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC) as part of the "Biodiversity and Climate Change Education Project" Funded by LEAPAfrica. For more info please visit: www.ypforum.wordpress.com. For sponsorship, please contact Esther at 08068184017 or email: esther.agbarakwe@youthclimate.org.uk.

**Call for paid internships from the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security **at the James Jeffords Center, University of Vermont (UVM). The University of Vermont's newly established Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security (IEDS) is offering five paid internships to research and write professional cases on environmental management and conflict resolution by graduate students in environmental management and related programs worldwide during 2011.

Each student will be paid a fixed stipend of $2000 to research and write case studies of around 7500 words with supporting documentation for use in teaching and executive training programs. The research can be undertaken from the applicants resident location but with clear communication and a research plan during an academic semester or during the summer. Travel funding may also be available based on the case choice. Candidates must have excellent organizational skills, experience with conducting interviews and strong writing skills.

Each case will be undertaken in partnership with a business, a government agency, a nongovernmental organization or an international organization. All cases will be supervised by UVM faculty and undertaken in collaboration with students at the University of Vermont.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume by email to ieds@uvm.edu and write in the subject heading "Internship Application." The first round of applicants review will commence on February 10, 2011.

The United States National Park Service is accepting applications from graduate students in the US for the **George Melendez Wright Climate Change Fellowship**. Applications are due 4 February 2011.

A trainee program in sustainable nature conservation is being offered in Germany for young professionals employed by Bulgarian or Romanian nature conservation institutions. The program is run by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation and the German Environment Foundation. Applications are due 31 January 2011.

If you are under 35 and making outstanding contributions to protected areas management (a the local and/or global level), apply by 22 December for the annual **Young Conservationist Award**, organized by the International Ranger Federation, IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, and others. Read more in English and Spanish, plus an extract translated into French by Abdallah Khazene, CEC Young Professionals Leadership Team member:

Young Conservationist Award, ENG, ESP, 2011.pdf Young Conservationist Award, extract, FRA, 2011.doc
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The **Sharing Power Conference: A New Vision for Development** will be held in Whakatane, New Zealand from 11-15 January 2011. This multi-disciplinary conference builds on the vision of "A world where equity is at the root of a dynamic harmony between people and nature, as well as among peoples. A world of diversity, productivity and integrity of natural systems. A world in which production and consumption patterns are sustainable. A world where cultural diversity is intertwined with biological diversity and both generate abundant livelihood opportunities" (IUCN CEESP, Vision Statement).

The conference brings together scientists, economists, indigenous leaders, youth, environmentalists, academics, policy makers in national governments and international agencies, and many others who care about the quality of heritage this generation passes on to future generations. It focuses on the need for policy and decision makers in governments and corporations to accommodate a greater level of inclusion of indigenous peoples and all citizens, in national and international policies on the management and governance of bio-cultural resources, and advocates the rights of Mother Earth – the planet.

Dominic Stucker of the CEC's Young Professionals Leadership Team is collaborating with local hosts to increase the meaningful integration of young people and intergenerational partnership. Join the Global Youth Network group on Facebook created especially for this event.

The event is organized by the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic & Social Policy (CEESP), and two indigenous Mäori organisations, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa (a tribal authority) and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi (a tribal university). Registration is still open. Learn more about the conference.

In August 2010, the CEC's Young Professionals Leadership Team organized a democratic process through which a young member was selected to join the CEC Team going to the **Convention on Biological Diversity COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan** from 18-21 October 2010. Read about the selection process and see candidates' applications. Read about the results.

As part of the activities of the **United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development**, UNESCO, has launched **a video contest** on ESD called **"Learning today to change tomorrow."** The contest objective is to present the ESD in action. This competition is open to people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the world. The deadline for video submissions is 28 July 2010. For further information on the contest, official rules, call for entries, and submission instructions, please read more here.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites the public to submit creative projects to the **4th annual Rachel Carson intergenerational "Sense of Wonder" contest.** The categories are poetry, photography, essays and dance. The contest seeks to instill a sense of wonder for the environment among all generations and spur environmental stewardship. Entries are due 16 June 2010. Read more.

The **Children and Youth International Conference - Let's Take Care of the Planet** is expected to draw more than 800 children and young people from 50 countries to Brasilia, Brazil from 5-10 June 2010, in addition to many more participating virtually. Young people will learn about participatory processes and write a Charter of Responsibilities that expresses their commitment to building sustainable societies, to be submitted to UN representatives. The Conference is organized by CEC member Andrea Margit of the Fundação Roberto Marinho and the Brazilian Ministry of Education. Read more and visit the official conference site.