Soul Trak connects people to the outdoors through hands-on programs that inspire leadership and exploration. The Soul Trak Leaders Fellowship empowers adults to deepen their outdoor skills and embrace new adventures, while the College Ambassador Cohort prepares students to lead, share, and create meaningful outdoor experiences.
Join us, step outside, grow as a leader, and be part of our mission to transform lives through the power of nature.
Jahmal Clemons
Jahmal's love for the outdoors is contagious! Having recently moved to the DMV from Houston, Texas, he is excited to connect with, support, and create a community with other nature lovers. His deep connection to nature was established early on through his involvement in the Boy Scouts, where he spent his childhood camping, hiking, caving, and rock climbing. As an advanced yoga teacher and practitioner, he maintains a reverence for nature and an outlook on the unity of all beings. Ever the servant leader, he has served as a cooking instructor for a food bank, a community garden volunteer for multiple elementary schools, and a camping leader for inner-city high school students. You'll often find him on outdoor adventures with his partner, Darryl, and their dog, Mars.
Dede Lawal
Dede is passionate about the outdoors, community-driven projects, and actionable science. She’s a Houston, TX native but has lived in Maryland for the past couple of years. In her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, baking, and flying trapeze. She’s excited to be a part of the Outdoor Leaders Fellowship.
Ayanna Lynch
Ayanna's soul is in the soil. Across her travels, from the East Coast to West and back, she keeps herself grounded by gardening. This began in her mom and grandma’s backyards in Georgia and continued to her college days in Los Angeles where she tended to houseplants in her dorm and spent time with chickens in the campus garden. Now in DC, she cultivates her community garden plot from season to season, experimenting with new crops like peanuts and chickpeas, and hopes to turn her plot into an herbal medicine cabinet. Having studied chemistry in college, she now wants to further her studies in agriculture and soil science. In her free time, she enjoys painting, hikes with her dog, and trying out new recipes and restaurants. Soul Trak for her is a way to extend her passion for land stewardship to people. Here, she hopes to cultivate a strong community interwoven with the land, through outdoor experiences.
Soul Trak Leaders Fellowship
The Soul Trak Leaders Fellowship is a year-long, immersive program designed to cultivate the next generation of outdoor leaders. This fellowship provides participants with hands-on experience in environmental leadership, outdoor education, and wilderness safety. Throughout the year, fellows will dedicate 10 hours per month to engage in outdoor experiences, facilitate Soul Trak programs, and gain certifiable skills to prepare them for leadership roles in the outdoor and environmental fields.
The fellowship includes an invitation to join Soul Trak’s signature Moab trip, co-lead the Summer Backpacking Trip, and participate in the Shenandoah Youth Adventure Week. Fellows will also have the opportunity to attend an optional trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) for further outdoor experiences. By the end of the program, fellows will have earned industry-recognized certifications and will have the tools and knowledge needed to pursue a career in outdoor leadership.
This fellowship provides an opportunity for those passionate about the outdoors to gain valuable leadership experience, make meaningful community connections, and earn certifications that will shape their future in outdoor education and environmental advocacy.
Duration: January through December (12 months)
Program Highlights and Responsibilities
Each ELC fellow will:
- Paid Opportunity: 10 hours per month, compensated.
- Outdoor Engagement: Participate in hands-on outdoor experiences and leadership training.
- Certifications: Earn Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Leave No Trace (LNT), and the option to obtain Track and Sign, Paddling Certifications, or League Cycling Instructor certifications.
- Professional Development: Build leadership, group facilitation, and environmental stewardship skills.
- Community Connections: Work directly with program partners and local community members to create lasting impacts.
- Exclusive Experiences: Invitation to the annual Moab trip, Service trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other Soul Trak Leader Opportunities.
Program Objectives
- Equip fellows with essential outdoor leadership skills, including wilderness safety, environmental stewardship, and group facilitation.
- Provide in-depth learning about local greenspaces in the DC area and surrounding regions, with a focus on ecology, environmental justice, and conservation efforts.
- Foster collaboration with community members and industry leaders through Soul Trak programs and other outdoor initiatives.
- Prepare fellows to take on leadership roles in outdoor education, environmental advocacy, and community organizing.
- Support professional development through the attainment of certifications and hands-on leadership opportunities.
Qualifications
- Age 18+
- High School Graduates
- Emerging leaders passionate about the outdoors, environmental issues, and community engagement.
College Ambassador Cohort
The College Ambassador Cohort is an outdoor leadership development program for college students that exposes budding leaders to new outdoor experiences, empowers students to share outdoor experiences with their peers on campus, and provides practical leadership opportunities for students. BIPOC students currently enrolled in college are eligible to apply.
Over the course of the semester, students will work closely with the Soul Trak team to facilitate local outdoor programming, participate in local outdoor excursions, and plan and execute a campus initiative for their student peers. Ambassadors will have the opportunity to work closely with our program partners, including local environmental or youth non profits, outdoor industry companies, and recreational service providers. Ambassadors are also encouraged to participate in Soul Trak’s Leaders Service Week in the US Virgin Islands in March, and Adventure Week in Moab, Utah in August. The cohort will meet all together monthly, with additional meetings and programs to be scheduled in coordination with ambassadors’ schedules and Soul Trak programs. Each Ambassador will be involved with one program per month during the semester (4 programs over the course of the semester).
Dates:
Jan Meeting: Wednesday January 29, 2025
Feb Meeting: Wednesday February 26, 2025
USVI Leaders Service Week: March 2-9, 2025
Mar Meeting: Wednesday March 26, 2025
Apr Meeting: Wednesday April 23, 2025
Leaders Adventure Week Moab: August 21-25, 2025
Skills:
Program Coordination: managing partner relations, sponsorships, participant outreach, and event management
Program Facilitation: learn to lead group activities confidently and effectively
Outdoor skills including: paddling, climbing, camping, hiking, and more!
Benefits:
Ambassadors will earn a stipend for 10 hours per month dedicated to developing leadership experience through Soul Trak programming.
There are further opportunities outside of the semester to be more involved with larger Soul Trak initiatives and be connected with our partners for career development.
Application Deadline is due January 30th
We will contact you for an interview from February 3rd to February 7th
Leadership Skills
Soul Trak student leaders will:
Organize
Organize small gatherings and events on campus for other students of color with interest in outdoor engagement.
Implement
Implement initiatives on campus that they've initially planned during Student Leadership retreat with the help of Soul Trak Staff.
Lead
Lead small outings in local parks and trails. Work with other Student Ambassador and Soul Trak Staff for off campus outings and initiatives
Collaborate
Collaborate with outdoor organizations and student groups for different outing opportunities for Soul Trak members.
SOUL TRAK
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