News and Updates from People's Climate Innovation Center

Feb 27
News and Updates

Greetings Community! 

I know we’re well into 2024, but I’d still like to wish you a Happy New Year and Happy Lunar New Year (year of the Dragon!), as it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. I hope you all are finding ease and balance this year, especially as we continue to navigate challenging realities. We continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine facing genocidal warfare since October, and we demand an immediate ceasefire. #FreePalestine and free all people subjected to colonization! 

Over here at People’s Climate Innovation Center, we’re proudly celebrating Black History Month (enjoy your commemorations, by the way!) and amplifying the award winning Black Climate Week with our friends The Solution Project and the launch of our 2024 Young Black Climate Leaders (YBCL) Youth Futures Fund application! More details on Black Climate Week and opportunities to amplify and support can be found further down in this newsletter. 

In addition to basking in the beauty and brilliance of diasporic Blackness, we are continuing to manifest abundance as we ride high from the release of our 2023 impact report last year. If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out the report Manifesting Abundance: A Year of Amplifying and Supporting Community-Led Climate Solutions and our accompanying montage video! This report is a glimpse into the work we have done since launching our brand in June 2022 to support community leadership and build capacity for community-driven solutions to the oppressive systems that have led to climate change. I hope you’re inspired by all we have accomplished and feel nourished because we couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you for supporting our vision and work. Stay tuned for what’s coming; we’re excited to share more about what we have in store.

Embracing abundance, one of our organization’s goals for 2023 was to access more opportunities to share our framework and theory of change–grounded in the Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning (CDCRP) Framework and applied in the evolving design and growing infrastructure of our core programs: National Association of Climate Resilience Planners (NACRP), Young Black Climate Leaders (YBCL), and Young Climate Leaders of Color (YCLC). With this framework in mind, our amazing Capacity Building Director, Tamira Jones, who’s also a public funding specialist, helped us to end our year on a high note with the publication of her piece Local Solutions to Federal Problems: Moving Climate Dollars to Communities in The Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ). Written alongside Brittny-Jade Saunders, this piece highlights the ways that communities can and should lead on public funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Justice 40 commitments and other federal funding. We know that access to resources, particular for frontline communities, is often the difference between climate resilience and climate catastrophe. This is why Tamira’s piece is both timely and necessary. We look forward to sharing more from us in NPQ and other places as we manifest additional opportunities to share our vision and theory of change. 

One more thing: before you get into the nitty gritty of this newsletter with more of the latest updates on our core programs and upcoming offerings, I want to share a personal update: I AM GOING ON SABBATICAL!!!! Yes, the capital letters are me screaming with excitement for the blessing of this incredible gift that has been a long time coming. In the spirit of self-care, wellness, rest, and respite, I will be taking time away beginning this June to give myself the spaciousness to hone my joy, tap into my creativity, and be fully present with my loved ones while loving up on them immensely so that I can continue to be the best version of me - Corrine. I’m deeply grateful that Jaime Love, our Director of Programs, will serve as interim director in my absence–but don’t worry! I will be back! :) As the time for my sabbatical nears, expect more updates from me with details on who from our incredible team to reach out to in addition to Jaime, my return dates, etc. 

I hope you enjoy our first newsletter of 2024, which includes highlights from our YCLC and NACRP convenings, new offerings (tap in!), and opportunities to contribute to the continued growth of our programs. Enjoy, and we don’t stop (you’ll get it if you keep reading)! 

In Solidarity,
Corrine



And We Don't Stop!
YCLC Convening Recap 

The vibrant city of San Diego welcomed both the alumni and the new cohort to the 2024 Young Climate Leaders of Color (YCLC) Convening from January 29th to 31st. This year's gathering, themed "And We Don't Stop: Voices for a Vibrant Future," was a profound commitment to continuing the fight for climate justice. Amid the backdrop of San Diego's challenges, including severe weather events, the convening served as a crucial moment for young leaders to connect, share insights, and foster a community for a brighter, more just future. 

 
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NACRP 2024 Facilitator Certification Program Convening Recap

People’s Climate Innovation Center, which the NACRP is a core program of, was proud to host the second cohort of facilitative leaders for our NACRP Certification Program in San Diego this February as part of the launch of our 9-month program. The cohort consists of 24 amazing organizers, planners, and community-driven facilitators deepening their practice within a peer support network. Rosa Gonzales and Julian Mochine-McQueen of Facilitating Power are co-facilitating the series, along with apprentices from the first cohort, Honu Nichols and Karla Juarez. Cohort members are in the process of actively diving into the application of the NACRP Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning Framework (CDCRP) and designing their own planning process accountable to the communities they serve across the U.S. and U.S. Territories.

 
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YBCL 2024 Youth Futures Fund Application Live!

We are successfully iterating the next round of stewardship and governance with the vision and support of three dedicated and brilliant Young Climate Fund Stewards for the 2024 YBCL Fund Launch and Application Cycle! The YBCL Youth Futures Fund provides financial awards to young Black climate leaders who are advocating for and transforming their communities toward racial and environmental justice. Get all the details about this year's funding levels, application requirements, and more here

Learn more and apply!

Climate Innovation is hiring!

Exciting news! We're growing our team and looking for a talented and dynamic Program Coordinator to support the National Association of Climate Resilience Planners (NACRP)! See the job description and qualifications here and submit your materials (resume and cover letter) to nacrp@climateinnovation.net. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. 

People's Climate Innovation Center

Climate@climateinnovation.net

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