APPLY
AMBASSADOR ATTRIBUTES
Sustainability Ambassadors share these attributes and skills...
Calling: You feel a personal calling to learn about the issues and to design collective impact actions to catalyze community sustainability.
Knowledge Worker: You commit yourself to developing a set of professional skills including systems thinking, policy analysis, performance assessment, project management and public speaking so that you are as professional as possible in working with your community to solve problems. Accumulating content knowledge is simple and linear. Being a knowledge worker is complex, situational and systemic.
Project Management: You understand the discipline of developing a work plan and then working the plan. You avoid idealism, impulsivity and short term gratifications. A professional work plan keeps you focused and working at a manageable pace.
Data-Driven: You understand that the impact of our work is measured against established performance measures, that what gets measured is a statement of what society values.
Community Representative: You represent your peers, your school, your school district, your city government and local green businesses by researching sustainability trends, developing action projects that make a difference, and reporting results on an annual basis to people in your community who need to know. You serve as an ambassador between generations, jurisdictions and community sectors; between the present and the future.
Communicator: You develop nested networks of community contacts so that you can strategically amplify positive trends and broadcast progress through a range of communication strategies: email, blogging and social media campaigns that drive traffic to our website; community presentations and video releases that put a face to our messaging.
Patient Strategist: You develop patience for how slowly systems change occurs and yet you become skilled at identifying strategic leverage points and moving quickly when opportunities converge.
Positive Peer Pressure: You understand the power of positive peer pressure across generations, jurisdictions and community sectors.
Colleague among Adults: You crossover the threshold from being a teenager to being a colleague with the adults with whom you need to interact to solve community challenges and communicate community success.
"The role of an Ambassador is to support diplomatic channels for solving complex human problems.
This is true at many levels of human organization, from nation states to school districts, from corporations to clubs, from family circles to best friends.
There is always someone who steps forward to help facilitate the common agenda."
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WHO'S ON MY TEAM?
Sustainability Ambassadors are recruited from every school district in King County.
Students often join in middle school and continue building their skills and serving their community through high school and beyond. School district teams can have teams of 2-10 reps.
We support an annual cohort of about 50 Ambassadors.
WHAT'S THE
TIME COMMITMENT?
The time commitment is intentionally flexible. We use the following Annual Rhythm
ALL HANDS – All Ambassadors every Monday from 7:00-8:00 PM via Zoom
Impact Project Team Meetings by City or School District (self-organized, typically every other week via Zoom)
Fall: Youth-led Impact Project Trainings to engage peers (organized by City Teams)
Seasonal Curriculum Design Labs with Teachers
Seasonal Green Jobs Career Panels with Experts
Winter Break: 1-Day “Sprint” on Sustainable Systems, Projects, Communications
Mid-Winter Break: 1-Day “Sprint” on Sustainable Systems, Projects, Communications
Spring Break: 1-Day “Sprint” on Sustainable Systems Projects and Communications
Spring Town Hall @ School and Community Sustainability Summits
Summer: 4-day Foundation Training (July), 3-day 2050 Workouts on selected Sustainable Systems, Option for Summer Internships to develop project management skills
August: 2050 Update Live Stream Event
“Serve as an ambassador across generations, jurisdictions,
and community sectors.”
AMBASSADOR JOB DESCRIPTION
Do your part to drive our mission:
“Rapidly advance a sustainable future. (a) Empower youth to catalyze community sustainability. (b) Empower teachers to integrate rigor with relevance for real-world impact. (c) Drive collective impact across generations, jurisdictions, and sectors.”
Understand how we function as an organization.
Understand and employ our tools and templates.
Continuously tell our core messages and powerful stories.
Develop and apply your professional skills in the 4P Syllabus of Sustainable Systems College.
Serve as an Ambassador within or among the following groups:
Green Team, ASB, National Honor Society, (other clubs), the PTA, City Youth Council or Advisory Board, School Board and City Council, plus selected non-profits, local businesses, and civic organizations.
Help design, promote and facilitate the Annual Rhythm of Sustainability Ambassador Programs. “Plan the work and work the plan!”
Lead or collaborate on one or more of our Signature Projects.
Update Stakeholders: Work with your team to deliver in-person presentations to update community stakeholders on our purpose, programs and progress. Maintain a “Nested Networks Database” of local contacts to push out communications.
Attend at least 80% of all Sustainable Systems College sessions: The more you engage, the more you learn, the more you are empowered to catalyze community sustainability. Use the Master Calendar to plan far in advance and post your availability using the Commitment Table on our shared drive.
Update your bio each year:
Recruit underclassmen during your junior and senior years to continue your legacy.
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APPLICATION
Ready to Apply?
STEP 1: Take some serious time to explore our website. See what you think about the structure and goals of the program. If it looks like a good fit for how you see yourself contributing as a learner and leader, then we want to hear from you.
STEP 2: Email a REALLY well-crafted letter of interest to Peter Donaldson. At the top be sure to include your name, grade level, school and school district as well as your email and phone number. Then… describe your skills, your experience and your sense of purpose in life. Address how you see yourself aligning with the roles and responsibilities outlined here, your interest in developing as a leader, and your commitment to creating a sustainable future. Tell us who you are, how you think and what you care about. Make it professional and personal… but concise.
STEP 3: Submit a sample of your best writing. Something you already have. We value excellent communication skills. It could be a research paper, an essay, or a work of creative fiction.
STEP 4: Collect at least two recommendations (one paragraph long emails are fine) from people who know your character, your work ethic, follow through, and ability to collaborate on a team. These recommendations can be emailed to Peter Donaldson.
Contact: Email or call Peter Donaldson if you or your parents have questions or want to talk more about this leadership experience. 206-227-9597, peter@sustainabilityambassadors.org