Baltimore, MD – Chesapeake Conservancy recently joined partners from the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition in hosting a two-part event to engage Baltimore students and young adults interested in conservation careers and support cultural competency in conservation organizations.  An employer workshop was coupled with a Green Job and Opportunity fair for Baltimore residents on January 26 at Coppin State University.

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The goal of the workshop was to teach effective practices to break down cultural barriers in the conservation workplace, discuss strategies for the diversification of the conservation workforce and identify new opportunities for collaboration among participating agencies and organizations.

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The job fair featured speakers on conservation careers and activism and provided conservation organizations and agencies the opportunity to share jobs and job training, volunteer opportunities, and internships currently available. One-on-one conservation career counseling and job skills coaching were also available to interested students and young adults.

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“Many conservation organizations want to think more broadly about what they do and who they work with. To do so, we need to meet today’s young adults where they are and consider the way we think, talk and act on behalf of people and the environment," Chesapeake Conservancy Vice President and Director of Programs Jenn Aiosa said.

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“That’s why the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition developed the Green Opportunity and Job Fair.  The training will help those of us in the field think differently about how we describe our work as well as how our work can be more relevant to many different communities. The opportunity fair also gave students and young adults the chance to talk with organization staff and learn about the variety of work available in the conservation arena,” Aiosa continued.

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Organizations and agencies that participated included:

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• American Landscape Institute
• American Pool
• Army Corps of Engineers
• Baltimore City Forestry Board
• BCRP
• Blue Water Baltimore
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation
• Chesapeake Bay Program
• Chesapeake Bay Trust
• Chesapeake Center for Youth Development
• Chesapeake Conservancy
• Chesapeake Research Consortium
• Civic Works
• Details Deconstruction Humanim
• Federal Highways
• Food & Water Watch
• Howard County Conservancy
• Irvine Nature Center
• Living Classrooms Foundation
• Maryland Department of Agriculture
• Maryland DNR
• Maryland Environmental Service
• National Aquarium
• National Park Service/Captain John Smith National Historic Trail
• National Wildlife Refuge Association
• NOAA Office of Education
• Outward Bound
• Patterson Park Audubon
• Sierra Club
• Student Conservation Association
• The Maryland Zoo
• The READY Program
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• U.S. Forest Service
• Volunteer Maryland
• Waterfront Partnership