2025 New Futures Fellowship

Amplify

Since 2023, the Amplify project has conducted action research on how fanbases could be mobilized to build more effective climate movements. Building on Amplify’s work with musical artists and their fanbases, the 2025 fellows Asher Savel and Julia Hyman explored how to perform effective climate advocacy in professional sports, with a focus on Major League Soccer and the WNBA.

Mobilizing Sports Fans for Climate Action 2025

Each fellow completed a landscape analysis of current advocacy efforts and a stakeholder mapping of their targeted leagues before creating specific advocacy plans, outlining recommendations for how Amplify can build out future campaigns. The fellows also collaborated in developing and publishing Amplify’s first polling of professional sports fans in the US, seeking to better understand the sentiments of the fan community and how best to engage with them. 

Fellows designed a novel questionnaire and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000+ professional sports fans across the United States to understand how they participate in sports fandom, how they relate to climate change, and how they’d feel about their favorite athletes and teams engaging in climate action and inviting their fans to participate. 

While analysis of the survey data is ongoing, early results indicate strong fan support for climate action: ≈ 85% of surveyed fans see climate change as an important issue, with over half already discussing it with family and friends and changing their personal habits in response. Furthermore, ≈ 53% of surveyed fans agreed that professional sports teams should take action, and ≈ 68% would support their favorite athletes in speaking out on the issue.

Meet the Fellows

  • Asher Savel


    Asher is associate majoring in Environmental Studies and Government/Legal Studies with a minor in Urban Studies. He is fascinated with trying to create a more sustainable, equitable world through community organizing, storytelling, and public policy.

    Asher loves watching the San Antonio Spurs, hosting his radio show on WBOR, reading the best fiction our world has to offer, and obsessing over food at the farmer’s market.

    He’s excited to join Planet Reimagined, where he'll combine his passions in sports and sustainability to help create bold solutions for a green future.

  • Julia Hyman


    Julia studied Urban Studies and Human Rights at Barnard College, where she first became passionate about sustainability and climate justice.

    She’s worked with climate-focused groups like Climate Words and Project Pressure, helping more people understand and engage with climate issues.

    In her free time, you’ll find Julia outdoors hiking mountains, diving into the ocean, or playing basketball. She's excited to join the New Futures Fellowship, combining her love for sports and the environment to inspire more people to take climate action!

Fellowship Advisors

Caleb Johnson

Caleb is an educator and musician. He holds a Master's in International Relations from the Institut Barcelona Estudis Internacionals and a Master's in Leadership Studies from Vanguard University. In 2017, Caleb joined the fight against educational inequity with Teach for America, and earned a Teacher of the Year award for his exemplary public service and student outcomes in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His experience as a Music Director in religious spaces provides a unique insight into the practice of harnessing the power of collective musical experiences to actualize change.

Interested in our Fellowships?

We're not currently recruiting for any fellowships, but we'd love to keep you informed!