Congratulations to W.I.L.D. Class VII!
W.I.L.D. Class VII graduated in May 2019 after giving their phenomenal Capstone Presentations!
Elizabeth Brogan
Hutto, TX
Will Cantu
San Angelo, TX
Isaac Carver
Llano, TX
Connor Himly
Brenham, TX
T.J. Pullen
Ponder, TX
W.I.L.D. Class VII Projects
Capstone Project (Individual)
Each W.I.L.D. Class VII student will be responsible for choosing and researching a piece of current natural resources legislation. Based on their research, they will identify potential stakeholders in Texas, as well as choose a specific stakeholder that they personally feel is most deserving of the benefits, should the legislation be passed. This project will culminate during Session V, where each student will present their case before a panel of industry professionals and legislators in Austin.
Group Project (CYCL)
W.I.L.D. Class VII will be required to work as a team in order to assist the Texas Brigades office in the planning of the Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL), a national, biennial event that will be hosted in November of 2019 in Austin, TX.
W.I.L.D. Mission Statement:
To provide a youthful perspective for the further development of the Texas Brigades while enhancing our own ability to influence natural resource conservation.
Texas Brigades is continually seeking new opportunities to fill in the missing links to achieve large-scale agricultural and natural resource literacy in Texas’ youth. W.I.L.D. was created in an effort to further develop participants’ knowledge of wildlife and natural resource conservation. W.I.L.D. is an advanced program that engages and exposes participants to natural resource policies and procedures, hands-on field research and data, career-building and professionalism.
Each W.I.L.D. Class is a small, elite group of no more than 10. One spot is available for applicants who do not have previous experience with Texas Brigades programs.Admission to the W.I.L.D. program is competitive and includes the following selection processes:
- Round 1: Online applications will be reviewed; only qualified applicants will move to Round 2.
- Round 2: Phone interviews will be conducted; top applicants will be selected and notified of their acceptance.
Throughout the academic year (September – May), W.I.L.D. participants will be required to attend 4 separate weekend-long sessions plus one week-long Spring Break session. Examples of session topics include professional development, natural resource policy, and site visits to see conservation efforts in action. Courses will be held in multiple locations across the state. Scheduling of these dates will occur once final participant selections are made.A non-refundable tuition fee of $250 will be required upon acceptance to the program to cover associated costs.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Required Qualifications:
- Age 18 – 23
- Senior in High School or above
- Highly motivated and active in a variety of extracurricular activities
- Strong interests in the outdoors, wildlife, and natural resource conservation
- Preferred Qualifications:
- Attended at least one Texas Brigades camp
- Additional preference will be given to those who returned as an Assistant Leader
Please direct any questions to info@texasbrigades.org
Time & Place
2018/2019 W.I.L.D. Class VII
August 2018– Applications Available
September 2018– W.I.L.D. Class VII Announced
October 2018 – Session I: Production Agriculture & Water Use (Lubbock)
November 2018 – Session II: Professionalism & Ecotourism (College Station)
February 2019 – Session III: Organizations (Fort Worth)
March 2019 – Session IV: CYCL Planning Session (Austin)
April 2019 – Session V: Legislative Session/Graduation (Austin)
WEST TEXAS — In early October, a small group of Texas Brigades staff, volunteers, and students helped construct wildlife guzzlers in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Participation in this project…
AUSTIN, TX — During Session IV, W.I.L.D. Class VII visited potential field sites and finalized details for the Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL) conference, a biennial, multi-state youth conservation event which…
FORT WORTH, TX — W.I.L.D. Class VII discussed current conservation issues this past weekend with some of today’s leaders in the conservation industry. They also gained first-hand knowledge of current conservation…
COLLEGE STATION, TX — W.I.L.D. Class VII honed their professionalism and business skills this past weekend with the guidance of Mays Business School professors. The class then used their new-found…
W.I.L.D. was launched in 2006 to further develop conservation education. Texas Brigades has effectively produced thousands of youth volunteers that are skilled and well versed in natural resource issues, ecological processes, and agriculture – wildlife interactions. The W.I.L.D. program is a prestigious, advanced leadership development and deployment program for the highest achieving former Brigades Cadets. The program will seek to hone their leadership skills, expose them to agricultural and natural resource policy-making and policy makers, foster development of professional skills, and improve the overall success of the Texas Brigades program through the creation of a Cadet Advisory Group composed of W.I.L.D. participants.
The W.I.L.D. program consists of an intensive program in which former Texas Brigades Cadets and Adult Leaders ages 18-24 attend four to five (4-5), weekend sessions designed to expose them to various areas of wildlife and natural resource issues, decision-making, and processes. W.I.L.D. participants are exposed to real-world natural resource issues and asked to use their leadership and decision-making skills to develop solutions and articulate their position to individuals with the power to make changes.
Participants in the W.I.L.D. program are the ‘cream of the crop’ of today’s young natural resource ambassadors. As the W.I.L.D. program evolves, we envision a prestigious group that will serve as a Youth Natural Resource Advisory Group, having meetings with entities such as the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission, the Senate Natural Resource Committee, the House Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committee, and even the Governor of Texas.
Methodology and Major Actions:
- Create advanced leadership and professional development curriculum for former Texas Brigades Cadets.
- Organize and implement unique learning experiences that will expose participant youth to the political interactions and players that create agricultural and natural resource policy in the state of Texas, and hone their leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills (special seminars, field trips and real-world experiences; participation in conferences, meetings of working groups; and interaction with legislative, state agency, and non-profit groups that influence policy decisions).
- Implement a Give-Back Program: Participants in the W.I.L.D. program are invited to serve on a special Cadet Advisory Group to the Texas Brigades Board of Directors. The first major assignment for W.I.L.D. program participants will be to use their newfound leadership potential to give back to the program that brought them to W.I.L.D. The participants will serve as (1) student advisers to the Texas Brigades Board of Directors, (2) mentors to current Brigade participants, and (3) official Brigade ambassadors at events across Texas and the United States.
