Now hiring for the Gathering Planning Team!
Click here to apply by June 1st.

SAVE THE DATE!

The 10th annual Changemakers Gathering is September 26-27, 2025.

REGISTRATION OPENS SOON

Hosted at 4-H Camp & Learning Centers at Tanglewood in Lincolnville, Maine
Free for young people under age 30

The Changemakers Gathering is a youth-planned and facilitated, intergenerational two-day retreat to build a sense of community amongst people who are passionate about the environment. Collectively, we are committed to building more just and sustainable Maine schools and communities. The gathering includes lodging, food, youth-led workshops and panels, discussions, mentorship opportunities with Maine organizers, games, and unstructured space for relaxation and connection in a beautiful outdoor retreat environment.

The gathering is free for people ages 15-30 and includes lodging and meals. Adults over age 30 are encouraged to attend as well. We ask people over age 30 to pay a registration fee that helps cover the costs to plan the event.

If you are accepted to the Gathering you will be part of the Changemakers Network and will be invited to different events throughout the year. Participation in follow-up events is not required, but offer a great way to deepen your relationships with other Changemakers across the state and build your skills.

YOUTH-LED, YOUTH-FACILITATED

Apply now to the Gathering Planning Team!

The Maine Environmental Education Association is looking for young people to help plan, coordinate, and facilitate our Fall 2024 Maine Environmental Changemakers Gathering.
Applications are due by June 1st. If you have questions please email negina@meeassociation.org.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Having participated in a past Maine Environmental Changemakers Gathering is preferred.

  • Passionate about the environment: conservation, environmental justice, sustainability,  sustainable agriculture, outdoor/environmental education, ecology, etc.

  • Able to communicate ideas and work with a team to make decisions

  • Active Listener

  • Belief that all Maine youth despite income level, race, or background should have opportunities to develop leadership in the environmental/conservation sectors

  • Must be at least 15 years old

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Meet with the planning team and Changemakers leadership team up to six times over the course of the summer through September to assist in planning the Gathering. Meetings will be held both virtually over Zoom and in person in the Brunswick area. Planning team members must commit to attending all meetings.  

  • Share your thoughts and ideas about how to create a positive and powerful event for Maine’s young environmental changemakers

  • Brainstorm ways that gathering participants, both mentors and youth participants, can stay connected after the gathering

  • Personal commitment to building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment/conservation movement in Maine

  • Attend and assist with the Gathering 

BENEFITS

  • $600 stipend for participating in planning meetings/calls and final in person event

  • Great networking and leadership opportunity: meet leaders and potential future employers from throughout the state in the environmental sector

  • Skill building trainings on equity and inclusion, youth-led environmental action and leadership

  • Attendance fee, travel, food and housing costs covered at the Changemakers Gathering 

  • Meet other young people who share a passion for nature, environmental justice, and/or conservation

Here’s what people are saying about the Changemakers Gathering

Thank you, Changemakers, for providing such a safe, playful, and powerful space for change to take place in.

— 2019 Gathering Participant

I have infinitely more hope than I had before. Seeing all the young people passionate about the environment and social justice gives me hope that our country is heading in the right direction.

— 2021 Gathering Participant

I really enjoyed the experience of hearing from so many impactful leaders in the community.

— 2022 Gathering Participant

“I felt a sense of community in the outdoors that I had not experienced in a while. I connected with folks who had the same desire to create care, love, and resilience as we work together towards achieving our goals for the environment. I was also able to share my story which inspired many. Because of the gathering, I now carry pieces of the folks I met. . .The MEEA gathering reminded me of what inspires me to do my work . . .that being in community makes you want to do better for the community.” - Sulwan Ahmed, 2024 Gathering Participant and Planning Team