Announcement for young people passionate about using their creativity, knowledge and skills to promote and protect human rights:

The Emerging Leaders Advisory Board (ELAB) of the New York-based NGO Human Rights First is recruiting new members to join them. “Human Rights First recognizes the imperative to fully integrate talented young professionals at all levels of the organization, applying fresh ideas to hold oppressors accountable and free people from injustice.” Launched in late 2022, ELAB taps the creativity, energy, experiences, skills and social media savvy of young people to inform, support and advance the work of Human Rights First.   

To apply to be a member of the advisory board, click here.

Question: Do I have to live in New York to be a member of the Emerging Leaders Advisory Board of Human Rights First?

Answer: No. ELAB currently has board members based across the globe. All of the board meetings are held virtually. We do hold in-person events in NY/DC in which Advisory Board members may participate, but attending them is not a requirement for serving on the board.

Question: What is the role of Emerging Leaders Advisory Board members? What is expected of a member if appointed to ELAB?

Emerging Leaders Advisory Board members are expected to attend bi-monthly virtual meetings and support ELAB with its various initiatives. This may include, but is not limited to, contributing to ELAB’s blog, helping to plan events, and promoting our events and initiatives on their social media pages. They are also expected to serve on one of our three committees, which highlight our core competencies and streamline our priority initiatives: Advocacy; Fundraising; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.).  Each committee hosts its own meetings, virtually, at the discretion of the committee chair. These typically occur bi-monthly. Committee overviews:

Advocacy Committee 

In November 2022, ELAB published an introductory blog post outlining the importance of young leaders and how our board upholds that history. In 2023, we continue to use our voices to publish op-eds on Human Rights First’s site to further educate audiences on the human rights issues that show up in our various lives. We encourage members across our committees to submit proposals for topics, and we will be publishing these op-eds during the year.

Fundraising Committee 

ELAB’s Fundraising Committee connects with new generations of donors, highlighting the work of Human Rights First through in-person events and online media campaigns. We launched our first individual fundraising drive on Human Rights Day (December 10), shortly after ELAB was established.

DEI Committee 

ELAB’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee is currently spearheading recruitment to the Advisory Board. The committee is also actively engaged in planning events. A recent example is our Women’s History Month event, which took place in New York City on March 28, 2023. The committee is also collaborating with Human Rights First in drafting several protocols and initiatives to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our operations.