The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY announces its next Resilience Journalism Fellowship, to be held from October 26th to November 1st, 2019. This program will be held primarily in New York’s six-million-acre park, the Adirondacks. This unique location will offer a special first-hand look at resilience issues facing the country and the world.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 18, 2019

The Adirondack Park, the nation’s third-largest park, is home to natural areas ranging from boreal forests to alpine mountain tops. The park was created in 1892 in part out of concern that timbering and mineral extraction in the region would hurt the water supply for the Erie Canal. Today the park provides a permanent home to more than 125,000 people and hosts some 10 million seasonal visitors each year. It’s a living experiment in how people and nature can survive together and thrive, one that is studied by people from around the world.

This October, 8 journalists will gather in upstate New York for six days of study and discussion. We will look at city resilience in the state’s capital region before heading into the mountains. The Fellowship will offer an opportunity to learn about the science and practice of resilience while unfettered from the daily demands of journalism.

We will be housed for the majority of the program in Newcomb, along the shores of Arbutus Pond. Lodging is rustic, with group meals and evening campfires. Canoes are available in the evening, and hiking trails are nearby.

Understanding how systems respond to disturbance is becoming more critical every day. How do cities, states, and countries recover after a hurricane devastates communities? How can a region reduce the effects of climate change? Is it possible to manage natural resources such as fisheries in a way that allows for long-term health of the ecosystem?

The Resilience Journalism Fellowship gives reporters the tools they need to answer these and other important questions through a resilience lens. We immerse our Fellows in the science behind resilience thinking, through fieldwork – discussions with scientists, observation of resilience thinking as it relates to on-going projects, and meetings with businesspeople and community members on the front lines of resilience work. And we couple that fieldwork with classroom discussion on resilience economics, story framing and so much more.

As a Fellow:

– You will gain a greater understanding of the science that underpins the concepts of climate change and resilience through reading and discussion of the latest research. You will learn how resilience plays out in the rural landscape and mountains of the Adirondacks

– You will learn the language needed to better understand resilience science and solutions

– You will meet and learn from some of the world’s leading thinkers working on resilience

– You will examine first-hand the cutting-edge efforts underway to address issues of resilience, and meet with the people conducting that work – whether activists working in the neighborhoods of Albany, New York, or biologists studying the 3,000 lakes and ponds of the Adirondacks

The Fellowship grant covers lodging, tuition and reasonable travel costs, along with most meals. Personal expenses during the Fellowship are the responsibility of the Fellows.

The Fellowship will last from Saturday evening, October 26^th until midday on Friday, November 1^st. Fellows will be required to complete several readings before arriving in New York and will be expected to be active participants in all discussions during the Fellowship.

This Fellowship will require that those accepted be in reasonable physical shape. The program will involve hiking in the mountains and (depending on weather) canoeing. Those unable to participate in such activities should instead consider applying for our next New York City Fellowship to be announced later this year.

Financial support for the Resilience Fellowship program is provided by The Rockefeller Foundation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 18, 2019