Nature for All’s Executive Director, Belinda Faustinos is one of the five honorees to be celebrated for her work at Climate Resolve’s Coolest in LA Gala on March 18. Climate Resolve is one of our coalition members and honors Angelenos who have made a lasting impact on climate solutions at this annual event. Go, Belinda!
To find, educate, develop and encourage environmental stewards to care for our public lands and to advocate for the protection and enhancement of our mountains, forests, rivers, parks, and urban open spaces.
The Leadership Academy is a long-term training program that focuses on developing organizing and advocacy skills, civic engagement, and local community action. Established in 2011, the Leadership Academy has thus far, graduated 16 cohorts and a total of 195 individuals. This hands-on training program is focused in low- income and underserved communities, in order to develop diverse environmental leaders. Our curriculum combines direct experience from coalition members and partners on a variety of topics, including direct advocacy, power analysis, public speaking, community organizing and other related topics. Throughout the academy, participants establish relationships among coalition members, partners, and other current environmental leaders, who then support participants through direct mentorship, employment, volunteering, and networking opportunities. Through the academy, participants will be invited to apply for funding (upto $1000) to create a project that furthers our mission to Protect, Create and Connect. Thus far, over 90 community projects have been completed through the leadership academy, and a hand full of these projects continue to be hosted by graduates today. These projects include river restoration projects, Art restoration and improvement projects, ongoing hikes in low income and underserved communities, and many more. Upon completion of the training and an engaging community project, participants are stipend $500 for their participation.
The applications for Cohort 17 are now CLOSED! Applications for Cohort 18 open at the End of Summer 2020.
Leadership Academy sessions will take place in San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles on the following days. Participants will be expected to attend all sessions. Attendance of 80% (9 out of the 12) classes and completion of a community project are required , in order to receive a $500 award of completion of the academy. Participants will be given advanced notice of any changes to the session schedule and locations. Below are dates and pending locations for this cohort.
Leadership Academy sessions:
We will announce locations for those accepted to the program.
For more information and pictures on the last two cohorts please visit the Leadership Academy Page or email Araceli@lanatureforall.org if you have questions.
Read interviews with Leadership Academy graduates.
Check out our graduates who have made the headlines:
Carolyn Jones from cohort 14 was featured in USC Story Space
Araceli Hernandez featured on LA Daily News for their Academy project: 818Hikes
We are super excited to announce the start of Cohort 16!
| Orientation took place on Sunday, July, 21. The orientation started at Rio Vista Park where we discussed and highlighted our coalition’s work. We then took a trip to Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center to discuss land acknowledgment and Native tribes that lived and traded in the Angeles National Forest, the work we have done in the Forest, and some of our local initiatives. Learn more about Cohort 16 by reading their bios. |
Questions about the Leadership Academy? Contact Araceli@lanatureforall.org. |
Applications for the FALL 2019 term (July – November 2019) are now OPEN. Applications are due Thursday, July 11th, 2019.
To find, educate, develop and encourage environmental stewards to care for our public lands and to advocate for the protection and enhancement of our mountains, forests, rivers, parks, and urban open spaces.
The Leadership Academy is a five-month training program of Nature For All that focuses on developing organizing and advocacy skills, civic engagement, and local community action.
Since 2011, the Leadership Academy has graduated 15 cohorts and a total of 165 individuals.
Leadership Academy Projects: Academy graduates have successfully executed 60+ community engagement projects around Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, and in the San Fernando Valley. Projects have included leading educational bike tours of the watershed area; organizing community workshops to raise awareness on protecting public lands among park-poor communities; and painting trash receptacles along the West and East forks of the San Gabriel River.
Read more about Leadership Academy projects.
LOS ANGELES, CA — We are extremely pleased to announce the San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act was considered in a key hearing in the United States House of Representatives. The historic legislation, introduced in April by Senator Kamala Harris and Representative Judy Chu, will protect wild lands, open space and rivers and improve recreation opportunities in Los Angeles County. Stretching from Santa Clarita to San Bernardino, these open space resources, particularly the San Gabriel Mountains, are the recreational “backyard” for more than 17 million Southern Californians.
“Since the designation of the National Monument, we’ve seen our rivers cleaned up, our picnic areas cleared of trash, increased access to trails that are safer and better marked, more rangers interacting with visitors, and most importantly, our entire community at the table developing the management plan for our San Gabriel Mountains,” said Congresswoman Chu. “Building on that success through the San Gabriel Mountains Foothill and Rivers Protection Act will mean more Angelenos – many of whom are among those with the least access to parks in the country – will be able to experience these rivers, forests, mountains, and trails in a safe and sustainable way that supports our entire area.”
This is a historic progress in the effort to protect and restore the best remaining parts of our public lands in the Los Angeles region. The legislation will:
With the Committee Hearing, Representative Chu has put us one step closer to implementing our vision, which is that everyone in the Los Angeles area – no matter where they live – has equitable access to the wide range of benefits that nature can provide.
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About Nature for All
Nature for All, formerly known as San Gabriel Mountains Forever, is a coalition of 11 organizations working to build a diverse base of support for ensuring that Nature for All is best known as the leading community group that built support for the designation of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in 2014. For more than a decade, Nature for All has been advocating for policies and programs to protect the mountains, rivers and parks in our area, create more natural spaces, and connect people to public lands. We bring together local, state and national organizations to develop leaders who advocate for policies and programs to positively impact our historically-underserved communities.
