Making Sure Parks Still Matter: The GWS's Diversity & Relevancy Programs

As the demographics of the United States continue to change in fundamental ways, conservationists are concerned about the lack of diversity in our professions. In addition, we face the prospect of our stewardship goals becoming less relevant as fewer and fewer young people develop strong ties to the natural world and their own cultural heritage.

The George Wright Society shares these concerns. We are the country’s foremost interdisciplinary association of park professionals, and one of our strategic goals is to become a leader in promoting diversity within professions dealing with parks, protected areas, and cultural sites, and to increase the relevancy of these places in everybody's lives.

We do this through three programs: the George Melendez Wright Student Travel Scholarship, the Native Participant Travel Grant Program, and Park Break. Here's a table comparing the main features.

	GMW Student Travel Scholarships	Native Participant Travel Grant Program	Park Break
Purpose	Give students experience at major professional conference	Engage Native people in dialogue; encourage sharing of Native perspectives	In-park seminar gives students inside look at complexities of park & protected area management
Target audience	Minority students from under-represented ethnic, racial, cultural groups interested in parks-related careers	Native people from Canada, Mexico, USA	Students actively pursuing research, management, or education careers related to park/land management
Eligibility	Upper-level undergrads, grad students	Non-students	Grad students
Frequency	Biennial (for attendance at GWS Conference)	Biennial (for attendance at GWS Conference)	Annual
Format	Students work with mentors to prepare conference presentations	Recipients encouraged to give presentations at conference; specially themed sessions aimed at Native participants	Students follow intensive week-long schedule centered around research problem; combination of classroom & fieldwork
Award	$1000 toward travel expenses	Stipend for travel to conference (varies from $500-3000)	All expenses paid (value approx. $1000 per student)
GWS role/contribution	Organization and administration of program; conference fee waiver; complimentary GWS membership	Organization and administration of program; conference fee waiver; complimentary GWS membership	Organization and administration of program; complimentary GWS membership

Find out more:

The George Melendez Wright Student Travel Scholarships
Native Participant Travel Grants
Park Break
Download PDF of our diversity/relevancy flyer, based on a poster we presented at the America's Summit for National Parks in January 2012.

Help us make sure parks still matter!

We are looking for partners who will help us expand these low-cost, high-impact programs. The cost to help underwrite a GMW Scholarship, Native Travel Grant, or Park Break fellowship is as low as $500. We work hard to make sure that your investment makes a difference in the “Next Generation.” For more information, contact David Harmon, GWS Executive Director, at dharmon@georgewright.org or by calling 1-906-487-9722.