Rising Voices is cost-free to all enrolled participants.

The Big Bad Project covers all costs through fundraising efforts to ensure that we honor our commitment to equitable and inclusive practices.

All participants receive the following:

• One-on-one coaching to understand key techniques used to strengthen and share their conservation perspectives.
  
  
• A student membership to the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) to network with professional interpreters and utilize NAI resources as they refine their voice as conservation advocates. 
  
  
• Experience hosting sessions of Conservation Conversations to develop their own style of presentation and transfer newly learned skills into real world applications.  
  
  
• Credit/Voucher towards becoming a Certified Interpretive Guide, a professional certification desired by many conservation-focused sites. 

Rising Voices is a virtual youth mentorship program for young conservation advocates in 9th-12th grade anywhere in the United States.

All applicants need to have parental permission.

Our mentorship program spans anywhere from 6-9 months, depending on how many advocates are enrolled. 

All enrolled participants are expected to dedicate 3-5 hours per month to this program. 

In simple terms – it is a way to communicate with others that connects them with things, places, people, and concepts on a deeper or more personal level. 

Why is that important? If you want to engage with others to inspire them into taking action, interpretation is the key to that success. 

All participants are provided with a student membership to the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) to network with professional interpreters and utilize NAI resources as they refine their voice as conservation advocates. 

Applications for our 2024 cycle are currently closed. We will open applications for 2025 in late Fall of 2024.