Fellowship for emerging leaders: Apply by February 5
By Sarah Schumann
Two years into the launch of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, I found myself struggling. Struggling to find an authoritative voice as a working fisherman in a society where professional titles and the sizes of grant budgets often determine who is heard, and who is not. Struggling to build power with a community (the fishing community) that can be plagued by fragmentation and cynicism — and then to protect the nascent, hard-earned collective power we were building from those who would coopt it to empower themselves alone. Struggling to hold onto hope in a world where planetary and political systems are collapsing, making the need for regular people to step up and lead more urgent than ever, but also more daunting.
I needed a mentor. I found Marshall Ganz, whose class on community organizing at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education Program put me back on track. In Marshall’s class, I learned that “leadership is accepting responsibility for enabling others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty.” With over 100 classmates from around the world, I learned about storytelling for change, building relationships, the three faces of power, creating leadership teams, holding each other accountable, and more. Most importantly, I learned that despite the seeming might of the world’s Goliaths, “David sometimes wins” — especially when we learn how to turn our unique and unconventional ways of doing things into sources of strength rather than vulnerability.
The first thing I wanted to do after completing the class was to share everything I learned with other fishermen. None of the things I had been struggling with is unique to me. In the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with commercial fishermen around the U.S. and beyond, I’ve heard similar themes time and time again. Whether it’s in fisheries management or offshore development or any number of other venues, fishermen feel we keep losing the fight. That the cards are stacked against us; the system rigged. While I don’t dispute any of this, I feel there’s more we can do to invest in our collective power — especially among the younger generation that will inherit this beloved yet beleaguered industry.
To that end, I’ll be offering a set of funded fellowship opportunities through the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign in 2025 to emerging leaders in New England’s commercial fishing industry. Fellowships will be focused on the theme of a Transition to a Low Carbon Fishing Fleet, building on the extensive research that four colleagues and I completed on this topic with the input of almost 150 fishermen in 2023-2024, and giving us an exciting chance to start turning that knowledge into action. However, the leadership lessons exchanged during the fellowship will be applicable to any issue that fellows and their communities may face, now and in the future.
To be clear: When it comes to solving the fishing industry’s problems, I certainly don’t have all the answers! In fact, so far in my trajectory as a changemaker, I’m more familiar with the bitterness of failure than the sweet taste of success. But I’m committed to working with my fellow fishermen to figure this out, in the hopes that we can circumvent some of the struggles that would hold us back individually and achieve greater impact, together.
Logistics, qualifications, and other details about the fellowship can be found here, along with a instructions on how to apply. The deadline to apply for the fellowship is February 5, 2025. Group sessions will begin shortly thereafter.
Due to availability of funding, this fellowship is only available to New England fishermen at this time, but in future years I hope to continue developing our climate leadership at broader geographic scales and with a focus on other pressing climate-related issues. If you have ideas, please reach out: fisheryfriendlyclimateaction@gmail.com
