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Environmental Justice Apprenticeship Program

The Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management and the Institute for the Environment present the Environmental Justice Apprenticeship Program.

Overview: 

The UC Davis Institute for the Environment and the Graduate Program in Environmental Policy and Management are launching a program to provide funding to support up to 4 EPM students pursuing an environmental justice focused Practicum project each year. 

We recognize the importance of environmental justice work and engagement with frontline communities. We recognize the limited resources that many of these organizations have and the demand for the knowledge that they provide. The goal in providing this funding is to provide students with leadership opportunities working with environmental justice and community based organizations, and to build community capacity and help advance an organization’s mission. 

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice “is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” To be inclusive of project needs, the program will not put limitations on what constitutes an environmental justice focused project. 

We will accept project requests on a rolling basis, until the funding runs out for the year. As of February 2023, we have two fellowships available. 

Information for organizations:

If you are a community-based organization and would like to partner with us to have a funded student intern work on an EJ project, please contact Jessica Penrose at japenrose@ucdavis.edu. Be sure to include the following information:

  • Project description
  • Expected deliverable(s)
  • Special skills required (GIS, R, etc) 
  • Start and end dates 
  • Hours per week 
  • Remote, in-person or hybrid 
    • Include location if in-person or hybrid

After you submit your project for consideration, the next steps include:

  1. The EPM Director will set up a time to connect with you to go over your expectations for the project and program requirements.
  2. If you choose to proceed, EPM will send out the project details to all students.
  3. Interested students may apply by submitting a cover letter and resume to the Director.
  4. The Director will work with you to select your preferred candidate. 
  5. Once the candidate is selected, the program will organize a kick-off meeting that will include you, the Director and the student.
  6. Funding will be provided to the student by the program. Funding will be dispersed monthly in equal parts for the duration of the project. 

Information for students:

Students should work with a community-based organization to develop an environmental justice focused Practicum. For consideration, the student should submit a copy of their Practicum Proposal to the Program Coordinator, Jessica Chalfin (jrchalfin@ucdavis.edu). Students are only eligible for this funding once. The proposed Practicum must include the following elements: