About the Bridge Program

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The Bridge Program is an innovative public-private partnership and equitable hiring pathway for the environmental sector focused on people of color and underrepresented communities founded by Greening Youth Foundation and Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards. In its inaugural year, we hosted two virtual two-day sector-wide learning and hiring events, supported 300 candidates, trained 700 staff from 55 environmental organizations and 5 federal agencies in equitable hiring, and yielded 20 job placements. Candidates were placed in a wide array of jobs in law, human resources, communications, policy, development, membership, project management, operations, GIS, field programs management, partnerships, education, horticulture, and sales.

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Building on the inaugural year, we will host a virtual two-day peer learning and hiring event on November 1, 2022 continuing to close the gap between qualified potential employees and employers in the conservation field. In fall 2022, we will have an event dedicated to connecting candidates with opportunities at federal land management agencies. These events are an excellent opportunity to convene around advancing equitable hiring solutions alongside a diverse group of candidates as well as human resources staff, organizational leaders, recruiters, and equity officers from conservation nonprofits, outdoor industry companies, and federal land management agencies. Our goal is to build learning and create relationships for long-term solutions by bringing together leaders from across the sector

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For more information or questions about The Bridge Program, please contact The Bridge Program Manager, Hannah Malvin at hmalvin@gyfoundation.org or Leandra Taylor at Leandrataylor@wildernessstewards.org.