Emerging Urban Leaders Cohort Program
Salzburg Global Seminar & World Urban Parks Partnership

Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) and World Urban Parks (WUP) partnership is creating an Emerging Urban Leaders (EUL) Cohort Program to provide thought leadership in safe spaces for emerging urban leaders to collectively advance critical urban parks work.  

The Emerging Leaders Cohort Program is designed to incorporate the following elements in the program

  • Create and build connections with emerging leaders
  • Provide opportunities for cohort members to serve as co-incubators of innovative work accelerating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through urban parks work
  • Peer to peer networking
  • Professional readings and discussions
  • Bridge between research and practice
  • Connect with private sector innovations
  • Provide cohort members with professional mentors from around the world
  • Connect cohort members with urban park leaders from around the world
  • Engage cohort members with World Urban Parks and develop leadership opportunities where interest aligns within World Urban Parks 
  • Have cohort members co-create programs, articles, webpages, social media for upcoming World Urban Parks Congress, Salzburg Global Seminar, and other relevant convenings
  • Provide public speaking, article writing, and/or social media opportunities for cohort members

*Download the Emerging Urban Leaders Cohort Program Information!

Who is an Emerging Leader?

We are taking a broad approach to who is an Emerging Leader. Its not based on age or CV! Here are some ways to think about an emerging leader.

  • One who is new to urban parks work
  • One who has an idea or concept but not a platform to build it out
  • One who is changing careers

Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) and World Urban Parks (WUP) partnership is creating an Emerging Urban Leaders (EUL) Cohort Program to provide thought leadership in safe spaces for emerging urban leaders to collectively advance the critical urban parks work.

Program Application »

 

     

 

Cohort Program ethos and values

  • Thought provoking, honest conversations, and gaining deep understandings of topics and issues discussed with a holistic approach
  • What is discussed through this program stays within the program
  • Respect confidentiality of members and discussions
  • Participants gaining a greater readiness for large giving
  • Help shape, enrich, and amplify the members ideas

Cohort Program is designed around the following themes with innovation integrated into each

  • Leadership
  • Strategy
  • Equity
  • Partnerships
  • Advocacy

Cohort Program time frame, participant make up, and program start

  • Program will run for 12 months, with plans to create an annual new 12-month cohort each year
  • Annual program will have approximately 20 participants
  • Participation in the cohort will be by expressed interest and application only  
  • Goal is to have cohort representation with gender balance and equitable distribution based on World Urban Park regions of the world – Africa, Asia/Pacific, Central/South America, Eastern Europe, North America, Western Europe
  • Initial Cohort Program will start March 2021
  • Application criteria for first cohort will be available December 14, 2021 with applications accepted through January 29, 2021  
  • Given the impact of COVID-19, it is expected the initial 12-month cohort will be a virtual program
  • If the program is able to have in-person experiences during the initial 12-month program, there may be the opportunities for scholarships for cohort participants   

12-Month Program Framework/Time Commitment

Establish 2 hour monthly working meetings for cohort members to work together (Cohort participant time commitment – 2 hours/month)

At each monthly meeting there will be
• Guest speaker(s) on engaging topics that fit within the cohort themes connected to associated readings and the UN SDGs 
• Breakout work for cohort members to work together discussing and addressing issues raised by guest speaker(s) 
• Follow up discussions between breakout groups and speaker(s) 
• Opportunities to utilize these discussions to frame in project work pieces for cohort members

Engage with World Urban Parks and develop leadership opportunities where interest aligns within World Urban Parks (Cohort participant time commitment will be determined based on the World Urban Parks role each cohort member undertakes – range of long-term commitment is 1 hour to 4-5 hours per month)

• One of the monthly working meetings will focus on World Urban Parks including discussion of opportunities for cohort members to be actively engaged in World Urban Parks in executive officer, committee members, or committee co-chair roles

Cohort members will co-create programs for upcoming World Urban Parks Congress, Salzburg Global Seminar and other relevant events working with the organizing committee event members (Cohort participant time commitment – range of commitment is 15-30 hours total)

• This effort will integrate work from Cohort Program with the World Urban Parks Congress, Salzburg Global Seminar and other relevant events and incorporate public speaking, article writing and/or social media opportunities for cohort members 

*Download the Emerging Urban Leaders Cohort Program Information!

Mentor/Cohort relationship

(Cohort participant time commitment – 1 hour/month)

Framework for mentor/cohort relationship

  • Mentor to provide professional resource to cohort participant
  • Mentor and cohort to share professional backgrounds and interests with each other
  • Mentor and cohort will establish areas of focus for discussions, assistance, and guidance supporting cohort participant through EUL 12-month program
  • Assign mentor/cohort connection based on interests of cohort participant and mentor
         Provide cohort and mentor with background information on each other/Each mentor and cohort schedule up to 60 minute monthly meetings throughout 12 month program

Benefits of Emerging Urban Leaders Cohort Program Participation

  • Global peer to peer networking
  • Professional mentorship 
  • Readings, discussions and engagement on global topics of relevance
  • Connecting with global urban park leaders
  • Co-creation of programs at global congress, seminar or convening
  • Public speaking, article writing, social media opportunities
  • Opportunity for co-incubating innovative work accelerating United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
  • Opportunity to shape, enrich, and amplify ideas