CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Climate Champions – DOT Climate Program

About DOT

Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) is a Canadian, non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with locally managed offices across 6 countries in Africa and the Middle East: Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Lebanon and Jordan, and the UK. DOT extends its reach to Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, and Zambia through local partnerships with youth-led and youth-serving organizations.

With support from the Cisco Foundation, the DOT Climate program is a bold initiative mobilizing thousands of digitally savvy young people to serve as Climate Champions. These youth will lead climate action projects, engage communities, and act as catalysts for behaviour change. DOT’s country offices will function as Climate Hubs, offering support and structure for local implementation.

About the Program

The DOT Climate program is building a movement of youth-led climate action grounded in the belief that young people are powerful changemakers. DOT empowers youth to catalyze behavior change, drive community-led solutions, and scale impactful climate action across hundreds of communities.

• Through a youth-led, hybrid model, DOT will recruit, train, deploy, and support a cohort of 24 local youth leaders as Climate Champions.
• These Champions will be equipped with DOT’s Climate Curriculum and a Participatory Action Research (PAR) Toolkit, enabling them to engage communities in co-designing and implementing small-scale, locally driven climate solutions.
• With the support of Cisco’s investment, DOT is scaling this impactful program and building a coalition of like-minded partners committed to advancing climate action through youth leadership.

Who is a DOT Climate Champion?

A DOT Climate Champion is a trained youth leader who engages directly with their community to raise awareness about climate change, lead a collaborative co-design process, implement small-scale climate solutions, and inspire lasting behaviour change.

DOT Climate Champions will:

• Complete a 4-week hybrid training (starting June 2, 2025)
• Conduct baseline surveys & community training
• Mobilize and coach community members
• Form and lead a 7-person Participatory Action Research (PAR) working group
• Gather community insights via participatory methods
• Co-design and implement a local climate solution
• Present the project and share learning outcomes
• Submit reports and engage in continuous improvement processes

Target Audience

• Young leaders with experience or interest in climate issues, digital tools, community engagement, facilitation, or advocacy
• Individuals with a commitment to social change
• Individuals with access to a smartphone and a laptop
• Citizens of Rwanda, with fluency in English and Kinyarwanda 

What is required to be a Climate Champion?

Applicants must:

• Be aged 18–35 years old by the time of application
• Be a citizen of Rwanda
• Be able to attend in-person sessions in Kigali City and virtual sessions
• Commit to full participation in the program between June–October 2025
• Have interest, experience, or knowledge in climate-related topics
• Possesses strong facilitation, leadership, advocacy, and digital skills
• Be fluent in English and Kinyarwanda
• Own a functioning smartphone and laptop
• This role is community-based, meaning you will be working directly within the district you indicated in your application. 

We strongly encourage applications from young women, youth with disabilities, and refugees.  DOT Alumni are encouraged to apply.

What DOT Offer

• Monthly stipend
• Monthly communication allowance
• Certificate upon program completion
• Opportunity to join a global climate network
• Become a member of the DOT Alumni network upon completion
• Mentorship by local and international climate experts
• Portfolio of climate action projects for career advancement
• Development of critical skills:
  • 21st-century skills (communication, negotiation, leadership)
  • Digital literacy (social media, platforms, research, data)
  • Climate coaching techniques (including indigenous knowledge)
• Visibility at regional/national events to showcase impact

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit your application through this Google form (https://forms.gle/1fGShwBFV66xVZJKA ) (A Gmail account is required to view this form and upload documents) by 15 May 2025, at 05:00 PM GMT+2. Please note that the submission will need to include:

• CV/Resume
• Higher education certificate (scanned)
• 1-minute video (max 100MB) introducing yourself and explaining why you want to be a DOT Climate Champion

Selection Timeline

• Applications Close: May 15, 2025
• Interviews (Shortlisted Candidates): By May 20, 2025
• Final Selection & Onboarding: By May 25, 2025
• Program Kickoff: June 2, 2025

DOT celebrates diversity and is dedicated to cultivating an inclusive environment that values cross-cultural understanding. We ensure accommodations for individuals with disabilities during the recruitment and selection process. Please indicate any need for accommodations in your application.

Safeguarding and Code of Conduct Information.

DOT Rwanda and our partners are a safe and inclusive community, and this opportunity is completely free. If you have been asked to pay or provide anything outside of what has been communicated here, or encounter any other incidents related to your lack of safety during this process, please contact us at rwanda@dotrust.org