Apply now for the 2025 Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress

Dates: December 11, 2024 8:00am to December 28, 2024 8:00am

Indigenous youth with a passion for community empowerment can now apply to the 2025 Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress (NYCALC), a federal and non-governmental collaborative that invites native communities to work together to address conservation challenges in a changing environment. 

• Who: Groups of 3-5 high school seniors enrolled with a federally recognized Tribe may apply with a single adult mentor. See the NYCALC Frequently Asked Questions for full eligibility details.
• When: June 21-26, 2025, plus travel time.
• Where: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia
• Cost: Free to attend; travel, room, board, and meals included.
• Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
• How to apply: NYCALC Application page

NYCALC provides training in leadership principles and conservation skills for the next generation of native leaders (rising high-school seniors) and their communities. The one-week, on-site Congress utilizes Open Space Technology to allow students to create a personalized action plan each year that is relevant to current issues. A mini-grant program provides students with resources for implementing lessons learned once they return to their communities with the goal of empowering communities to address social change and conservation priorities.

View summaries of past NYCALC by visiting the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience’s (TCR’s) NYCALC page.

More about the Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress

NYCALC is an annual event hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in partnership with TCR and in collaboration with multiple federal, Tribal, and non-governmental organizations.

Learn more on the NYCALC website.

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