CENTER FOR WHOLE COMMUNITIES 2011 NOMINATION PROCESS
DEADLINE: January 1, 2011 Before completing the nomination form, we ask that you read the following information about the Nomination Process. As a nominator, you play an essential role in the success of the Whole Thinking Retreat program and the composition of retreat groups. We are deeply grateful and appreciative of the important role you continue to play as an alumna/us of Center for Whole Communities!
Background As an alumna/us of Center for Whole Communities, you have the opportunity to nominate (2) individuals in leadership to receive fellowships for our Whole Thinking program. The program gathers leaders from the land conservation, social justice, climate change, wildlife protection, sustainable agriculture, human rights and environmental justice movements who aspire to create stronger, more integrated movements for change. The nearly 1000 alumni of the Whole Thinking program represent hundreds of organizations and communities across the nation; diverse initiatives and organizations like the Community Food Security Coalition, Quivira Coalition, The Food Project, The Weeksville Society, Chelsea Collaborative, The Hub of Detroit, Conservation Law Foundation, People’s Grocery, West Harlem Environmental Action, The Nature Conservancy, and the Wilderness Society.
The 2011 Nomination Process Incredibly, 2011 marks our ninth season of the Whole Thinking Retreats! As the success of our programs brings increasingly qualified nominees to our process, the fellowships have become that much more competitive. We therefore ask that you selectively nominate 2 individuals. To help give you and your nominee a sense of what to expect, below is an overview of our nomination and invitation timeline.
Process & Timeline Fellowships are awarded February 15th by mail -You will be listed in the award letter as the person who made this fellowship possible -We will notify you by email by this date if your nominee has been extended an invitation, and will ask for your support in encouraging him/her to consider the program and a timely response -We will notify you by email by this same date if we were unable to extend your nominee(s) an invitation
Accepting the Invitation -We offer more fellowships than spaces available -Space in eachNominate? retreat, therefore, is largely secured on a first-come, first-served basis Who Should You
-Invited fellows are asked to confirm their interest in and availability to attend by March 21st Please note: Because of volume, we are not able to offer a fellowship to everyone for whom we receive a nomination. We frequently reconsider nominees from previous years.
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This is your chance to honor an individual you hold in high regard who you think would be both an asset to and contribute significantly to the Whole Thinking Retreat program. Whole Communities leadership is about reconnecting, re-localizing and building relationships. We encourage you to nominate someone who might help you grow Whole Communities work in your region. As you contemplate your selections, we ask you to consider the whole communities quadrant framework that we introduced in your retreat.
Key to the success of this program is bringing together leaders from each quadrant, as the concerns of each are critically important today to both healthy whole communities and healthy whole landscapes. This starts with your nominations. We seek a balance of participants representing all four quadrants. In addition, diversity in all forms --from race, to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and age-- is of paramount importance to the success of each group and the program at large.
Fellows Are Chosen Based on the Following Criteria: Please read carefully Ability to Engage with Diverse Perspectives The success of a retreat is largely dependent upon the ability of each participant to suspend judgment and assumptions, while trusting that their fellow participants will do the same. Our ability to create a safe space for participants hinges on us successfully gathering individuals who respect difference and can recognize their blind spots. Is your nominee capable of doing this to the fullest extent possible?
Change-Making Ability Leadership within organizations and movements takes a multitude of forms, and is not solely based on positional power or rank. We seek participants who, in various ways, are poised to take on, embrace and continue working in leadership roles that will enact change within their organizations.
Connection to Land & People Fellows whose work (paid or volunteer) relates to land and people in some significant way find this program most relevant.
Group Composition Center for Whole Communities remains committed to ensuring that each retreat group represents the breadth of diversity that is truly visible in our country and culture today. As this is of paramount importance to the success of our programs as well, we give preference to nominees of color.
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