Applications are open for the Leadership Academy!
The Leadership Academy is an eight-week educational fellowship in sustainable food systems leadership where you’ll be surrounded by like-minded, high-achieving peers who share your passion for making a real-world impact.
During the Leadership Academy you will:
The Leadership Academy is offered on a pay-what-you-can basis.
Interested in learning more about the Leadership Academy before you apply? Register for one our upcoming info sessions:
Throughout the eight-week educational fellowship, we’ll look at factory farming through the following lenses:
Learn how civic engagement and the legislative process can be leveraged to create a more just and sustainable food system.
Explore how technology and business can come together to build momentum to support the end of factory farming.
Hear firsthand how students like you are building a people-powered plant-based global movement — and how you can bring this movement to your campus and community.
Understand the harms factory farming inflicts upon human and ecological well-being, and how to foster flourishing communities.
Discover the power of storytelling to influence public opinion and create real-world impact.
Three days per week, you’ll have four hours of comprehensive programming consisting of:
Learn what it means to be an effective leader, understand your own strengths and areas for growth, and develop critical competencies for making a meaningful impact through experiential activities and discussion-based learning.
Deepen your understanding of the problems inherent in industrial animal agriculture and the existing efforts to address them by hearing from and engaging with thought leaders and subject matter experts in a series of lectures, workshops, and fireside chats.
Explore new interests, ignite your creativity, and build lasting relationships through fun and interactive sessions that will leave you feeling energized and inspired to make a difference.
Broaden your perspectives, challenge your assumptions, and cultivate a systems thinking mindset through collaborative conversations with small peer groups.
The schedule:
*There will be no programming on Thursday, July 4th.
In the Leadership Academy, you will gain the tools to build the foundation for structural change in your institutions and communities. You will have the option to apply to continue in the academic-year fellowship, which runs for the fall and spring terms. In the academic-year fellowship, each fellow works with New Roots Institute and a partner organization towards an individualized campaign to drive change on their campus and in their communities. Fellows receive coaching, mentorship, and access to learning and career development opportunities. More information, including how to apply, will be provided during the Leadership Academy.
Note: If you are interested in joining the academic-year fellowship, but are unable to join the Leadership Academy this summer, please reach out to leo@newrootsinstitute.org. We will keep you updated on future opportunities.
Candidates for the Leadership Academy are eager to be changemakers in the movement to end factory farming. They are eager to learn about the impacts of factory farming; develop communication, advocacy, and leadership skills; and leverage these skills to create change in their communities toward our shared goal of ending factory farming.
Application review ends June 5 or until all seats are filled, whichever comes first. By applying for the Leadership Academy, you’ll also have the chance to be selected for the yearlong fellowship.
This year we are able to offer the program on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a suggested fee of $795 to help partially cover the cost of your participation. This helps keep it accessible to as many qualified applicants as possible. Similar programs can cost upwards of $2500 per student. Successful applicants will receive a link to a payment page where they will have the option to pay whatever they can afford. We do not factor ability to pay into admissions decisions, and will never allow the cost of our programming to prevent the participation of a qualified applicant. We encourage you to apply whether or not the fee is feasible for you!
The fellowship is offered on a pay-what-you-can basis. Successful applicants will receive a link to a payment page where they will have the option to pay whatever they can afford.
Whether or not you can receive credit depends on the requirements for your school, and we are happy to work with you to fill those requirements to be able to receive credit.
The Leadership Academy is an eight-week educational fellowship focused on learning about the impacts of factory farming; developing communication, advocacy, and leadership skills; and creating change in your communities toward our shared goal of ending factory farming.
Attendance at required meetings is mandatory. If you have a prior commitment or concern about being able to attend part of the eight-week educational fellowship, please email leo@newrootsinsitute.org to discuss.
The Leadership Academy is an eight-week educational fellowship running from June 25 through August 15. Scheduled programming will take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week (except for the July 4 holiday) from 9am - 1pm PT / 12 - 4pm ET. Participants will also have assigned reading and assignments outside of core programming hours.
Please email leo@newrootsinsitute.org with any further questions.
To apply, candidates submit their application online. Selected applicants will move to the next stage, a 20-minute virtual interview with a member of the Leadership Development team. Candidates who are successful in the interview stage will be accepted into the Leadership Academy.
To best prepare for the application process, we recommend reviewing New Root Institute’s vision, mission and values, and considering why you are passionate about effecting change within your community to create a more just and sustainable food system.
“New Roots Institute [is] where I discovered that it's not just climate, but the well-being of all species that truly matters... I'm excited to express my dedication and share my research [at] the Climate Justice and Health Lab at NYU.” - Pooja Sharma, Leadership Academy, Summer 2023
“I came to New Roots very unsure of my potential for advocacy, but your encouragement through the program helped me see how I can merge positive change and animal rights with my career goals, and that the work doesn't have to end with New Roots!“ - Bethel Mengisto, Leadership Academy, Summer 2023
In the last two years, our students had successful plant-based default campaigns at Cornell University, the Issaquah School District in Seattle, Pomona College, and San Diego State University.
One of our fellows organized a broad-based coalition at New York University to lock in the plant-based commitments secured by former New Roots Institute students on campus.
In the last year, our fellows organized very successful veg fest events at the University of California Los Angeles and Pomona College. These events were attended by over 1100 people!