Green Corps, a one-year, full-time, paid environmental leadership training program, is on campus today to recruit UW-Madison students, whom representatives from the organization describe as being \cutting edge"" activists.
Naomi Roth, Green Corps assistant organizing director, and Roger Smith, Green Corps field organizer for Wisconsin, spoke to a group of students and recent graduates at Memorial Union Sunday night. Smith said about eight to 10 had set up interviews at UW-Madison for today for Green Corps positions.
""Out of 35 [positions available], that's a good number,"" he said. He added about 80 UW-Madison students had expressed an interest in the program.
Smith described his field project, on which a number of UW-Madison students have worked, involving clean-air initiatives.
""My role is to help Senator [Herb] Kohl [D-Wis.] realize this is something people care about,"" he said.
As field organizer, Smith said he was responsible for ""bringing people into politics who wouldn't otherwise be there.""
Smith said he contacted students for the campaign through the UW Greens, the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group and the Environmental Jewish Initiative.
""Students really understand the problems that are facing us,"" Smith said.
An obstacle of involving students on these types of campaigns though, he said, was the fact that students are often too busy.
Both Roth and Smith said UW-Madison students fit the profile of Green Corps candidates perfectly.
""Madison students are definitely on the cutting edge of activism,"" Smith said.
The first step of the year-long program involves classroom training, in which experts come to lecture on topics such as how to execute successful campaigns and garner media attention. The second phase involves actual field work, when individuals contribute to varying environmental and public health campaigns. The third part involves job placement for ""graduates,"" helping employees either develop their own nonprofit organizations or locate positions within already-established groups.
Participants take jobs with the Green Corps not knowing where they are going to be living or what campaigns they will be working on, Smith said.
UW-Madison alumnus Alex Johnson, who attended Sunday's information session, said he decided to look into the Green Corps after a lack of success with other employment options.
""I'm not having a whole lot of luck with the job search,"" Johnson said. ""It sounded kind of interesting. It's only one year. That's not too huge a commitment.""
The first round of interviews are today at Memorial Union. The second round will be in Chicago.
