The Black and Green Ambassadors programme plays a pivotal and instrumental role in nurturing strong leaders from diverse communities across Bristol with the vision and drive to inspire and ignite action, to achieve an environmentally and socially just future for all. With 16% of the city’s population belonging to a black or minority ethnic group, the need for diversity in leadership that is representative of all communities - including those often disproportionately affected – is fundamental to ensure all voices, opinions and experiences are heard and included in decision making.

Since launching in October 2020, Year One Ambassadors have:

• Raised the profile of Bristol’s leadership and ambitions in the media locally and further afield
• Spoken at over 30+ major events locally and nationally including interviewing all Bristol Mayoral candidates and speaking at London Climate Action Week, Festival of Ideas, St Paul’s Carnival and many more
• Amplified 60+ community leaders and projects through the radio show, events and communications
• Produced monthly radio shows on issues including clean air, green spaces, grassroots sustainable food projects - reaching Ujima Radio’s 30,000+ listenership
• Inspired and challenged 600+ attendees and participants at Black & Green Ambassador hosted events, workshops and community research projects
• Been long listed for an Ashden Award to celebrate 2021 Climate Champions

Programme partners, Bristol Green Capital Partnership and Ujima Radio CIC, are incredibly proud of the achievements of the Black & Green Ambassadors over the last 2 years.

The world has changed significantly since the programme started, first with a pilot in 2017 and then with a successful bid to the National Lottery Community Fund in January 2020 for the upscaled programme. Amongst other issues a global pandemic and the current cost of living crisis have had impacts on the context in which this programme exists. The programme team and Ambassadors have consistently adapted to this rapidly changing context and have continued conversations reflecting the important issues of environmental justice with communities across Bristol.

During Year Three of the programme (to Oct 2023), we are seeking to focus all of our efforts on understanding the impacts and challenges of the programme so far and sharing our learnings, whilst seeking to develop and secure a medium to long-term future for the project and its mission to “connect, empower and celebrate diverse leadership and community action on environmental issues in Bristol and beyond”.

You can read about the activities of Year One and Year Two Ambassadors here – including contact information and social media links to enable you to contact and connect with Year One and Year Two Ambassadors directly.

Year Three of the programme (from June to September 2023) will be used as a time to gather learnings by engaging with stakeholders. It is an opportunity to reflect on the programme with a view to informing it’s future direction and how it could be approached differently in future iterations in both a local and national context.

We are now looking to appoint an Independent Consultant and facilitator to undertake a Strategic Review of years 1 and year 2 of the programme.

Deadline for applications: 30 May 2023