CALLING ALL PASSIONATE YOUTH!

Do you want to help guide the future actions and direction of Our Children’s Trust? Have you previously wanted to get involved in supporting our work? Now is your chance to join the inaugural cohort of the Youth Advisory Council! This council will bring together young climate leaders from across the country to serve as a dynamic advisory body that guides organizational priorities, co-develops strategies, and informs program designs. To be considered for a position on the council, please complete the application form below. For questions 5 and 6, please feel free to send video responses in lieu of written responses to youth@ourchildrenstrust.org. The deadline to apply is October 1, 2025.

TIME COMMITMENT EXPECTATIONS

Approximate total time commitment: 5 hours/month

The Youth Advisory Council will meet once every other month (six months per year), and workgroups will meet once every alternating month (six months per year). Put simply, the council will have at least one two-hour meeting every month. This will hopefully include one in-person meeting. In addition to meetings, members will have the opportunity to participate in events hosted by Our Children’s Trust on an occasional basis. Council members will be expected to regularly reply to emails and messages via Discord. Serving in a leadership role may have a larger time commitment.

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

There will be two types of leadership opportunities for council members during their service. Please see them outlined below:

Co-Chair (2 persons):

Once the council convenes, two co-chairs will be elected by a vote of the council. The Chairs will co-lead the council. Each chair will serve for a term of one year. The responsibilities of the chairs will include:

• Facilitate meetings

• Call for votes on decisions

• Act as liaison to Board and leadership

• Take notes

Workgroup Chairs:

Workgroups will be formed around a few key focus areas. Chairs will be selected to lead each workgroup. Chairs will be selected via a vote. Each chair will serve for a term of one year. The responsibilities of the chairs will include:

• Facilitate meetings

• Call for votes

• Main communicators between workgroup and council

• Lead writing of materials, if necessary

QUALIFICATIONS TO JOIN

We are looking for applicants with the following qualifications:

• Must be between high-school age and 30 years old

• Passion for climate justice and uplifting youth voices

• Experience in leadership/collaboration/organizing

• Interest in helping to shape the program development/operations of a non-profit organization

• Ability to navigate Zoom, Discord, Google Drive, and other online platforms

• Organizational skills

• Excellent communication skills, including public speaking

• Interest in Professional Development opportunities

• Time management – please be sure that you can commit to the following time expectations

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

There are many benefits to serving as council member

• Being part of a brand-new body within a leading advocacy non-profit.

• Professional Development

  • Council members will have many opportunities to participate in workshops on a variety of topics to strengthen their skills in a career development/preparedness area.

• Networking

  • You will have the opportunity to make connections with both young peers and adult professionals in the greater climate movement.

• Experience in an advising and/or leadership role.

• Learning more about the law/legal processes, climate science, the history of the climate movement, etc.

• If you have previously served as a plaintiff in an Our Children’s Trust case, this is an opportunity to further apply the knowledge you learned from your experience and continue to stay engaged with the organization.

• Students may count advisory council hours as volunteer hours for school requirements.