Gen Z for the Trees Program Volunteer

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Do you want to make a difference for our planet and get hands-on work experience at an international conservation NGO? Rainforest Partnership (RP) is a non-profit based in Austin, Texas, with team members in the US and Peru. We conserve and restore tropical rainforests by working with communities to develop sustainable livelihoods that empower and respect both people and nature.

RP is currently looking for a Program Volunteer to join our youth-led team Gen Z for the Trees.

The Program Volunteer will work with the Gen Z for the Trees team to strengthen Rainforest Partnership’s connection with youth, to research the main drivers of deforestation, and to work on targeted campaigns for change. Gen Z for the Trees is a youth led movement to educate, inspire and empower young climate and rainforest advocates across the globe to achieve net zero deforestation by 2030.

OUR VALUES

The ideal candidate will share in Rainforest Partnership’s core values, which include:

1. Entrepreneurial: resourceful, innovative, and action oriented.
2. Efficient: organized and process/procedure driven.
3. Empathetic: respect and understanding toward other’s perspectives
4. Authentic: genuine and self-aware.
5. Positive: focused on moving us toward desired results.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Gathering detailed information about public and private actors in the rainforest
• Drafting/conducting outbound communications (e.g letters to corporate boards)
• Monitoring and filtering inbound communications
• Working with the team on programmatic planning
• Curating educational and inspirational resources

QUALIFICATIONS

• Research skills
• Proficient in English
• Able to compose compelling narratives
• Punctual and deadline driven
• Adaptable and able to learn new concepts quickly
• Great team player with the ability and interest to develop relationships with others
• Social networking and organizing
• Preferred: background knowledge of rainforest ecosystems

The expected time commitment is 5-10 hours per week. If you are interested in this position, please contact us by email: info@rainforestpartnership.org and please name the one or two teams you are most interested in joining.

AVAILABLE TEAMS

PALM OIL

• Identify which palm oil mills (out of 5,000+ the team has already mapped) overlap with recent tree cover loss and fires
• Work with RSPO, Solidaridad Network, SPOC, and other organizations to implement solutions including polycropping, agroforestry, biological corridors, enforcing NDPE, using Aidenvironment and Satelligence for tracing to farm, and lastly the restoration and use of abandoned lands rather than expansion into rainforests
• Build consumer awareness and pressure on companies (traders and conglomerates, major grocers, beauty brands, etc.)
• Research consumer-end solutions that take into account the share of global consumption of palm oil in India and China

BEEF CATTLE

• Research the beef industry, identify major corporations, understand stakeholders and smallholders, look for policies lacking enforcement, and map concessions and farms
• Advocate for food systems solutions (less waste, and less beef consumption overall, especially in USA and Europe, and also in schools)
• Together with the leadership team, palm oil team, and policy team, meet with Walmart to ensure sustainability goals are met across all the supply chains in products they carry
• Build consumer awareness of the impact of beef and leather on rainforests, and pressure on companies (traders and conglomerates, major grocers, restaurants, etc.)

SOYA

• Powermap and research the global soya farming industry, major corporations, and international and local supply chains
• Research the connection between the conversion of land use from cattle ranching into soya farming and how this affects accelerated loss of tree cover, as well as the extent to which soya is farmed as animal feed
• Identify, evaluate, and highlight practical and powerful solutions for sustainable soya

TIMBER AND PAPER

• Research and powermap multinational logging companies and the global wood products industry, working down toward an understanding of local subsidiaries
• Promote transparency of illegal logging permits and violations of environmental laws or corporate commitments, with the assistance of the policy team
• Campaign for using other sources of wood pulp and fiber (bamboo, hemp, etc.) and other material to be used in construction instead of wood (hempcrete, downcycled plastic, etc.)

FINANCE

• Research investment firms, particularly private equity, and press for transparency and changes in ESG policy
• Identify banks and credit unions with clean investment policies and encourage younger generations to use them instead of major banks
• Campaign for banks to divest from deforestation and development projects which are violating the rights of Indigenous communities or the terms of land concessions
• Campaign for universities’ endowments, state pensions, etc. to enact policies which refuse to put money in banks which are financing deforestation

LAW AND POLICY

• Research existing policies, regulations, suits, etc. from national and local governments and international organizations regarding land use, agriculture, and markets for important commodities to support the other teams
• Read and evaluate corporate policies and plans, seeing whether they are feasible, not ambitious enough, or lacking specific protections for forests and people
• Connect with organizations which can advise on specific questions, strategy, and offer information which might not be public on the web

MEDIA AND OUTREACH

• Open channels of communication and build relationships with organizations, accounts, and individuals focused on rainforests, conservation, climate change, Indigenous rights, corporate accountability, and youth empowerment
• Grow the social media presence and following
• Curate and prepare content for social media, balancing the three pillars of Educate, Inspire, and Change
• Develop a formal style guide for Gen Z for the Trees

GIS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Support the commodity teams by mapping palm oil mills and plantations, beef cattle ranches, soya farms, logging areas, agricultural concessions, forest loss, fire, and more
• Learn more advanced GIS skills with the help and mentorship of more senior members at Rainforest Partnership