We all have a right to a livable climate future. At Citizens’ Climate International, we believe everyone’s chances of success, including governments and industry, are enhanced when the design of our world is shaped by the needs and aspirations of all people. We all have a role to play in designing and securing a climate resilient future. Civic engagement is climate action.
This is why Citizens’ Climate volunteer chapters around the world will organize and support actions on five levers of political will, throughout the month of June:
- Meeting with public officials
- Media relations
- Grassroots engagement
- Grasstops engagement
- Local chapter & volunteer development
On Monday, June 6—the day after World Environment Day and the day the mid-year UN Climate Change negotiations open—we will launch a letter to the G7 leaders, with support from local chapters and the wider community, around the world. This call for action toward a livable climate future is stakeholder driven and will be part of our organizing throughout the month.
The mid-year UNFCCC negotiations in Bonn take place in the old West German parliament chamber. It was designed to evoke inclusive and participatory decision-making and reciprocity between stakeholders and decision-makers. Read more here about why civics is so vital for achieving climate resilience.
This Month of Action is not only about advocacy and outreach. It is also an opportunity for local volunteer chapters to focus on volunteer training and development. For citizen volunteer policy advocates, the process of preparation and organizing is constantly evolving. We must learn from each other, keep up with current events, and empower our new members to be effective advocates and part of a multifaceted team.
We will have three volunteer trainings—an overview of the Five Levers, Volunteer and Group Development, and Getting to know your local media—at the following dates and times:
- Thursday, June 2 – 7am ET / 1pm ET
- Thursday, June 9 – 7am ET / 1pm ET
- Thursday, June 16 – 7am ET / 1pm ET
More information about events, programming, messaging, and engagement opportunities, will follow.
If you are planning to organize, host, or attend any in-person events, please consult the COVID-19 Safety section of the Engage4Climate Toolkit.
The Engage4Climate Toolkit provides guidance for coordinating stakeholder meetings to develop locally-rooted climate policy recommendations. The Toolkit includes sample meeting agendas, including experiential education events; it also contains guidance for coordinating moderated discussions, a 20-year visioning process, and a resource library with background reading materials.
Most of the meeting types outlined would constitute community engagement events, activities, or trainings, but they can be specialized to provide unique opportunities for engaging public officials, as well as reporters or “grasstops” leaders. It is also possible to draw on this Toolkit to develop focused meetings or events for local volunteer and group development.
Local volunteer chapters are the support mechanism for advocacy and action on the Five Levers. It is through teamwork, preparation, and ongoing cooperation that citizen volunteers become effective policy advocates. The Month of Action is all about modeling, reinforcing, and activating that teamwork effect.
A critical part of our organizing and empowerment work is field reports, which are aligned with the Five Levers listed above. Our three Thursday trainings in June will provide more insight into how to most efficiently categorize and report volunteer actions. Doing so makes it easier to ensure local chapters find the information and guidance they need to sustain and expand their efforts.
