Overview
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Climate Literacy seeks applications for its NEH K12 Institute, Teaching Climate Justice with Young People’s Literatures and Media. 24 total applications will be selected, with eight teachers in three distinct grade bands each: early grades (K-3), middle grades (4-8) and upper grades (9-12). Of these, a total of six positions will be reserved for early career teachers (those five or fewer years of experience). The Center seeks to cultivate a final cohort of teachers reflecting a broad range of teaching contexts, sociocultural identities, and subject expertise. Teachers of all content areas are welcome. BIPOC teachers are strongly encouraged to apply.
This Institute is not meant to debate climate science, nor is it meant to be a primer on key terminology. Rather, this Institute will seek to foster generative conversations about the role of literature in advancing climate justice and cultivating the values necessary to live well, together, on planet earth.
Participants will be required to attend all sessions. Virtual sessions will be held via Zoom June 30-July 3, 2025. In-person sessions will be held on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus July 14-25. Participants who successfully complete the Institute will be given a $2850 stipend at the Institute’s conclusion. The stipend is considered taxable income.
Deadlines
- Application opens: December 13, 2024
- Application closes: March 5, 2025, 11:59pm Pacific
- Selected applicants will be notified on April 2, 2025
- Applicants must notify the Center of their acceptance by April 16, 2025
Eligibility
Per NEH guidelines, you are eligible to apply if you are a:
- United States citizen, including those teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions and schools operated by the federal government;
- resident of U.S. jurisdictions; or
- foreign national who has been residing in the United States or its jurisdictions for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline.
Please see NEH’s participant eligibility criteria for additional information. All participants must also agree to the NEH’s participant expectations, as well as their principles of civility. Please also review the NEH’s applicant and participant frequently asked questions.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The National Endowment for the Humanities, like the Center for Climate Literacy, does not condone or tolerate discrimination or harassment based on age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), genetic information, national origin, race, or religion. Nor does NEH condone or tolerate retaliation against those who initiate discrimination complaints (either formally or informally), serve as witnesses, or otherwise participate in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process, or oppose discrimination or harassment. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. TDD: 202-606-8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).
Note on the Application
The application will ask you for information about your teaching context and biography. It will also ask you to submit, via text box, a personal narrative and a climate justice and equity statement. We recommend reading the prompts below, write your narrative and statement in a separate word doc, then copy/paste into the text box in the application.
Part One: Personal narrative
Craft a personal narrative that responds to the following question: why is teaching about climate justice important to you?
We are less interested in a list of professional accomplishments as we are in understanding the experiences, values, and hopes you have for yourself and your students.
Your response must be less than 250 words.
Part Two: Climate justice and equity statement
Describe your current understanding of climate justice and equity, including your personal relationship with both. Your response must be less than 250 words.