Established in 2019, Womxn in the Wild is a summer field experience aimed at providing womxn opportunities in the natural resources and agriculture, community, and transferrable skills. Participants dive into on-the-ground projects and attend workshops that focus on career and grad school readiness, scientific communication, and resume/CV development. Participants immerse themselves in field projects through collaborations locally in Los Angeles and surrounding counties and out-of-state through partnerships with land stewardship organizations in Texas that integrate ranching and conservation.
Student recording data on bird characteristics while banding birds at a wildlife refuge.Why is this experience important?
Traditionally, the fields of natural resources and agriculture have been male-dominated. However, more recently the number of womxn in the natural resources and agricultural fields has grown. Even with this shift, gender gaps still exist in pay, experiences, and rankings. This is an opportunity for womxn to grow and develop themselves as scientists and leaders who will be prepared to move into career roles and become a part of the decision-making process.
The total program cost for each participant is $3,000 which includes a stipend for students' commitment to the program, travel costs (airfare, hotel, lodging, food) to our partner sites, and equipment needed to work on projects. With your help, we can make these experiences for these womxn a reality!
When traveling to partner sites, students will spend approximately $10 per meal. This will help offset the costs of one student meal when traveling.
Participants will be provided three workshops where they will focus on developing resumes/CVs, science communication, and career/grad school readiness. This level provides support for one of these workshops.
Working in the wild requires tools that assist participants in collecting data. This sponsorship will help provide enough equipment to ensure each participant will get hands-on experience.
Unpaid labor is common in the natural resources, we want to ensure that our womxn mentors are compensated for the time and expertise provided to program participants. This level supports one mentor.
Unpaid or underpaid labor is far too common in the field of natural resources. Let's change that by compensating program participants who may be taking time away from other commitments to broaden their experience to be career-ready. This level provides a stipend to one participant.
Visiting out-of-state conservation organizations will be a key piece to the experience in the program and with that comes costs. This helps support one program participant in their travel (airfare, lodging, transportation) to our partner sites.