Young NELA Mission Statement
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As a committee of the National Environmental Law Association of Australia (NELA), Young NELA is focussed on serving the interests of young practitioners and students in law, planning, natural resources, environmental engineering, environmental management, environmental science, environmental impact assessment and any other profession involved in the environment.
A young practitioner is a person in the first six (6) years of practice in their profession, or a person under 36 years of age. A student is a person currently enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate study at an Australian university in any of the above mentioned areas.
Young NELA is to further assist the interests of young practitioners and students and assist them to establish themselves within their area of practice by enhancing their professional skills through the provision of:
- Professional networking and mentoring opportunities;
- Continuing professional education and development;
- Opportunities to participate in the development of environmental law and policy;
- A social network.
Objectives of Young NELA
Young NELA intends to carry out its mission by:
- Representing the interests of young practitioners and students in law, planning, natural resources, environmental engineering, environmental management, environmental science, environmental impact assessment and any other profession involved in the environment at a national level.
- Promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to the development of environmental law and policy.
- Conducting informational and professional development seminars on both a formal and informal basis.
- Arranging and conducting events to enable young practitioners and students develop contacts in their profession, related fields of expertise and the wider community.
- Working in collaboration with other likeminded organisations as part of NELA's strategic direction.
Implementation of the Objectives
Representing the interests of Young Practitioners and Students
Young NELA seeks to achieve this objective by:
Encouraging a young practitioner or student to nominate for the NELA National Executive and maintain a presence on the NELA Executive. This will enable Young NELA to voice the opinions of young practitioners and students and raise issues of interest to young practitioners and students at NELA Executive meetings.
Encouraging young practitioners and or students to become Associates of the Environmental Law Roundtable Australia and New Zealand (ELRANZ).
Establishing a Young NELA page on the NELA website and establishing a regular presence in the NELA publications.
Building the public profile of Young NELA.
Increasing the membership of NELA, particularly student membership.
Preparing detailed and accurate papers and submissions in relation to proposed amendments to environmental law legislation and other law reforms of relevance to young practitioners and students. By agreement these submissions may be prepared as part of broader NELA submissions.
Promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to the development of environmental law and policy
Young NELA seeks to achieve this objective by:
Encouraging non-lawyers to become committee members of Young NELA.
Holding multi-disciplinary events, which enable members of various professions and students to network with a wide range of environmental practitioners.
Conducting informational and professional development seminars on both a formal and informal basis
Young NELA seeks to achieve this objective by:
Establishing a National series of ongoing informal lectures / panel discussions designed to assist young practitioners and students in integrating into their profession and enhancing their professional skills.
Establishing a formal mentor program between members of Young NELA and NELA. This mentor program would provide young practitioners and students with access to experienced mentors from various fields of practice.
Arranging and conducting events to enable young practitioners and students develop contacts in their profession, related fields of expertise and the wider community
Young NELA seeks to achieve this objective by:
Organizing regular social events.
Conducting one major event each year to which all young practitioners and students across Australia are encouraged to attend.
Working in collaboration with and on joint projects with the various State and Territory Environmental Law Associations as part of the broader NELA strategic direction
Young NELA seeks to achieve this objective by:
Developing relationships between Young NELA and other organisations including, but not limited to, EIANZ, PIA, QELA, VPELA and RMLANZ , ideally as part of the broader NELA relationship, to advance the objectives of Young NELA.
Inviting members of other environmental law associations across Australia and New Zealand to attend Young NELA meetings.
Support and become involved in the work of the Environmental Law Roundtable of Australia and New Zealand (ELRANZ).
Facilitating roundtable discussions on various environmental law and policy issues across Australia.
Where appropriate, preparing joint papers on environmental law and policy issues of national concern.
