Thursday, September 14 – Sunday, September 17, 2023

Launched in 2018 to build capacity for the next generation of environmental leadership, Women’s Environmental Leadership (WEL) engages a multigenerational network of women whose environmental efforts at local, national, and international levels are shaped by a justice and humanities-based framework. Acknowledging that exploring environmental issues through a social justice lens allows for a more nuanced and inclusive exploration of environmentalism and civic engagement, WEL’s programming is designed to create spaces in which women meet to consider new visions for leadership and community impact.

A flagship program of the newly launched Smithsonian’s Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum the third WEL Summit will once again gather its network of current and future leaders to explore the multiple ways in which environmentalism is practiced, pathways to environmental leadership, and best practices for community-centered advocacy and activism.  The summit’s theme of Where We Live, Work, Play, Pray, and Learn will firmly ground participants in environmental practices, and serve as an incubator of innovative approaches to address environmental challenges that allow for healthy, just, and sustainable communities.

Over the course of three days, summit attendees will engage in panel discussions, workshops, networking events, and field trips which will be enriched by explorations of how various Smithsonian units are thinking about and engaging environmental issues, how they can serve as resources for communities, and how communities can serve as guides and collaborators  as the  Institution supports the development of  holistic approaches to environmental conservation.

Questions about the 2023 WEL Summit? Reach out to the team at ACMWELSummit@si.edu.

Support for travel is available. Please contact the team at ACMWELSummit@si.edu for more information. 

For more information: https://anacostia.si.edu/welsummit