Changemakers Fellowships
environmental leadership development for youth ages 18-25
Apply now for the winter Changemakers Fellowships!
Two (2) part-time contract positions are currently open. Apply by January 2nd, 11:59pm EST
ABOUT THE CHANGEMAKERS NETWORK
The Maine Environmental Changemakers Network is a youth-led, intergenerational program of the Maine Environmental Education Association that connects young people (ages 15-30) across what is now called “Maine”. This group comes from diverse backgrounds and are passionate about the environment and social justice. With peer mentors and established mentors in the sector, Changemakers provides training and resources needed to support the youth-led climate actions that participants organize in their communities. The Changemakers program commits to challenging traditional models of leadership, shifting power, increasing innovation through dialogue, and crossing age and ability boundaries to develop a more just, inclusive, and equitable environmental sector.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
MEEA is hiring for two (2) contract positions for the winter Changemakers Fellowship program.
Changemakers focuses on leadership development of youth who are passionate about environment and climate justice issues, with a specific focus on youth who have faced marginalization in exploring their passions for this work. We are currently seeking two (2) fellows who represent the geographic diversity of the state of Maine. The Fellowship contract positions will work within their local, county, and state communities in order to support the work of the Maine Environmental Changemakers Network in providing opportunities for young Mainers from diverse backgrounds who are passionate about the environment to connect with the resources and mentors they need to make effective change in their communities. This fellowship is a part-time contract position paying a $3,800 stipend with an additional $500 budget to support an environmental community action project that you are passionate about. Total hours for each fellowship position is approximately 200 hours. The target age for this Fellowship is 18-25, but we can be somewhat flexible on this and the fellows must have some flexibility to work during weekday business hours. The start date for this position is March 3rd and will run until the beginning of June (end date can be negotiable).
RESPONSIBILITIES
Help to organize and attend the Spring Changemakers Gathering.
Attend and co-present a workshop at the MEEA Annual Conference in May.
Interview a youth in the Maine Environmental Changemakers Network who is passionate about environmental and climate justice work, and share their story on the Changemakers website.
Lead an individual environmental/climate community action project of your own design, which directly and positively impacts your community.
Attend weekly meetings with the MEEA’s Director of Youth Engagement.
Outreach and tabling to expand the Changemakers Network;
Participate in the hiring process of the next fellows and Changemakers Gathering Planning Team.
Grow your own leadership skills through supported professional development opportunities.
SKILLS REQUIRED
Passion for building a more inclusive environmental and conservation sector in Maine
Excitement around helping other youth step into their own power and belief that everyone can be an environmental changemaker in their own way
Working collaboratively across different lived experiences
Openness to facilitating cross-generational conversations
Desire to build your own skills and share your knowledge with others
Self-motivation and independence
Reliability
Ability to lead an environmental project of your own design with support from the MEEA staff
Able to work in a flexible work environment (many remote zoom based meetings, and some in person meetings in Bangor/Augusta area and some in state travel required)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Applications are due by January 2nd, 11:59 pm 2026, but the positions will stay open until filled. If you have questions please email changemakers@meeassociation.org. Apply using this link.
MEEA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, or age.
Questions? Email changemakers@meeassociation.org
fellowship guiding principles
commit to a growth mindset
challenge norms and ask hard questions
dream big
share resources and knowledge across generations
support youth leaders as they grow in their skills over time
build meaningful long-term relationships.
advocate for a more equitable environmental sector
tell our own stories to the sector
find solidarity and hope in our community
center the voices of marginalized youth
care for ourselves and our communities
2025 Fellows
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Sadri Mohamed
Sadri Mohamed (she/her) is a first-generation Somali American from Lewiston. A first-year student at Smith College, she is majoring in Government with a minor in either Environmental Science or Public Policy. Sadri’s passion lies at the intersection of environmental justice, abolitionist thought, and transformative social critique. As a current fellow, she’s excited to engage with New Mainer Initiatives and deepen her understanding of policy through education and community connection.
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Sean Emerson Allen
Sean Emerson Allen (he/him) is currently double majoring in Environmental Policy and Economics at USM. As an EMT in Denver, he saw the expanse of different lives that people live and experienced firsthand the significance of making the freedom that nature provides within reach for everyone. Getting out into nature isn’t just a process of recreation, but one of public health. At MEEA, he hopes to learn more about policymaking and pathways for more community involvement in government and sustainability.
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Gamana Ali
Gamana Ali was born and raised in Maine and plans attend university with a degree in nursing. Gamana is passionate about mental health advocacy, especially within the Somali community. She is excited to be apart of an initiative that creates real change. In Gamana’s free time, she enjoys writing, reading, and spending time in nature. She looks forward to learning, growing, and making meaningful contributions through the Changemakers Network.
Past Fellows
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Kaya Lolar
Summer 2024
Kaya is a citizen of the Panawahpskek Nation and is on track to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Social Anthropology and English from Harvard University in the spring of 2025. She was born and raised on the banks of the Penobscot River at Alenape Menahan, or what is now called Indian Island, and her lived experiences as a Panawahpskek citizen have driven her lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship and advocacy. Kaya has a passion for writing (especially creatively) and greatly values the power of storytelling as one of many tools to share traditional Indigenous knowledge as it pertains to our ever-evolving environment. -
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Will Lehan
Summer 2024
Will recently graduated from Boston University with a degree in International Relations. Growing up in Bangor, he developed a love for nature through exploring the City Forest and Acadia National Park. At BU, Will was an Outing Club Trip Leader and completed a capstone project on reducing Boston's traffic through carbon taxes, tolling, and MBTA improvements. Currently, he’s a MEEA fellow and is excited for this summer's project and the fall gathering! -
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Angie Flores
Winer 2024
Angie (she/her/ella) is a student at the College of the Atlantic studying Human Ecology, focusing on climate politics, climate policy and political ecology. Angie has been actively dedicated to environmental and climate justice in the diverse communities she's part of. She is passionately driven to work across fields, communities, visions, and resources and help connect bridges to build power within communities to effectively affect change. Guided by a pluriversal framework, the power of the collective and participatory and intersectional practices, Angie works towards fostering international networks of collaboration and care.
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Claudio Jimenez
Winter 2024
Claudio (he/him) is a trans Latino activist with a focus on food sovereignty and multimedia artist living in a cabin in the woods. Some of his favorite hobbies include birding, bookbinding, gardening, and petting dogs
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Celia Canavan
Summer 2023
Celia (they/them) lives and works on Abenaki land in Franklin County, where they recently graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in International and Global Studies. Growing up in urban Massachusetts, Celia realized young how institutionalized racism affects all areas of community growth and development, and the importance of intersectionality in social justice issues. After moving to Maine in late 2019, they began to garner a national reputation for their work as a queer, disabled rural activist. They have had experience working in policy areas such as tribal sovereignty, reproductive healthcare, campaign finance, universal healthcare, and election integrity.
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Elaina Cruz
Winter 2023
Elaina Cruz is a first-generation Latinx Student from Maine. A student at the University of Maine at Farmington studying International and Global Studies with a minor in Political Science. During her time at UMF, she has worked closely with the community with Johnson scholars (Trio) to uplift other first-generation college students. An issue that intersects her understanding of different cultures and communities all around the globe and her personal experience growing up in an immigrant community is the environmental crisis. This is where her passion grew for Maine outdoors and protecting it by advocating for social and environmental justice by uplifting Bipoc's voices. This is why she is very excited to work with Maine Environmental change makers to continue to do the work of equity and change.
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Idey Abdi
2021-2022
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Luke Sekera-Flanders
2021-2022
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Riley Stevenson
20202-2021
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Kosis Ifeji
2020-2021
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Amara Ifeji
2019-2020
Past Community Action Projects
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Food Waste Awareness Dinner
Summer 2024 Fellow Will Lehan took his college research project on food waste beyond the classroom and hosted a dinner in Bangor offering a three-course meal for guests based on the most commonly wasted household groceries. They brought leftovers to the Bangor Homeless Shelter’s pantry and composted food scraps.
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Earth Day Garden Event
Spring 2023 Fellow Elaina Cruz partnered with Just ME for Just US to lead an Earth Day event at the UMaine Farmington Community Garden greenhouse. The group transplanted lettuce while discussing food sovereignty and food equity.
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Community Roundtable
Winter 2023 Fellow Angie Flores facilitated a roundtable discussion for the Mount Desert Island community about long-term resiliency, drawing metaphors from natural systems like lichens and mycelium to inspire the conversation.
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Wabanaki Studies Workshops
Summer 2024 Fellow and Panawahpskek citizen Kaya Lolar co-led Wabanaki Studies professional development workshops for educators in so-called Maine with her mother Brianne Lolar, Wabanaki Studies Specialist with the Maine Department of Education.
Summer Community Organizers
The Changemakers Network previously hosted Summer Organizers, which were short-term positions over the summer for 3-4 months. We have transitioned to primarily focusing on summer Fellowships and no longer offer paid Community Organizer positions. Check out who organized with us in the past below!
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Hallie Arno
Summer 2021
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Ogechi Obi
Summer 2021
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Laura Bither
Summer 2021
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Mei Strout
Summer 2021
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Hailey Talbert
Summer 2022
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Sophia Anderson
Summer 2022
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Zoe Burgard
Summer 2022
