Nominate a young person for a Brookie Award

I love the idea of the Brookie Awards, recognizing young people between the ages of 15 and 30 who are demonstrating leadership and effectiveness on natural resource issues and projects.

The Brookie Awards are organized by NRCM Rising, the young member arm of Maine’s Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM).

I encourage you to nominate a young person for one of these awards, which will go to 6 individuals this spring. Nominations must be made by March 15.

“The Brookie Awards are just what Maine’s environmental movement needs because it serves to inspire and reinvigorate Maine people by sharing the stories and positive impact our generation of leaders is already having on the state,” said NRCM Rising Leadership Team Member Sarah Cotton.

And of course, I love the name, although I’m pretty sure each winner does not receive a brook trout. Each winner does get $1000 and other benefits.

Here is more information from NRCM, including how to submit a nomination.

January 22, 2020 (Augusta, ME) – A new statewide awards program launched today will elevate the voices and work of the rising generation of environmental leaders in Maine. The Brookie Awards will recognize a diverse group of six youth changemakers every two years for their demonstrated leadership and effectiveness on behalf of Maine’s natural resources.

Nominations for the inaugural “school” of Brookie Award winners are now being accepted through March 15, 2020. Mainers are encouraged to nominate eligible young leaders who live in Maine and are between the ages of 15 and 30 at www.brookieawards.org/nominate.

The Brookie Awards are organized by NRCM Rising, the young member arm of Maine’s leading environmental group, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM).

“The Brookie Awards are just what Maine’s environmental movement needs because it serves to inspire and reinvigorate Maine people by sharing the stories and positive impact our generation of leaders is already having on the state,” said NRCM Rising Leadership Team Member Sarah Cotton.

Brookie Award winners will receive a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to attend a nature-based retreat with their fellow young environmental changemakers where they will participate in skill-building sessions and engage with other environmental and political leaders in Maine. The retreat aims to foster knowledge sharing across generations and environmental movement-building by more deeply connecting these outstanding individuals to the nature of Maine and encouraging their ongoing commitment to environmentalism.

NRCM Rising will celebrate and honor the Brookie Award winners at a major gala event in Spring 2020 that will feature short, inspirational speeches from each awardee. Online videos will also be produced to feature the unique perspective and voice of each winner.

 

 

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.