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Climate Change Leadership Academy now accepting applications for 2021

Upper Valley residents of all backgrounds welcome for training in citizen action

Jan. 11-Feb. 14 — Promoting citizen-driven, community-level action is the goal of the Climate Change Leadership Academy (2CLA), which is accepting applications Jan. 11 through Feb. 14 for its 2021 session. 2CLA is a program of the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW), a group of leaders and partner organizations striving to make the region more resilient to climate change, coordinated by Vital Communities.

UVAW is seeking to assemble a diverse class of 25 participants from across different social groupings (age, town, socio-economic status, race/ethnicity, gender identity, etc.), with each participant bringing a unique perspective to the cohort. UVAW believes that creating a learning environment rich in diversity and full of opportunities to engage with unfamiliar ideas, perspectives, cultures, and people will prepare participants to become change agents in their communities. Prior knowledge of climate change is not required. Tuition is $30, and scholarships are available.

Those 25 participants will attend six sessions that will include expert presentations, group discussion, and collaborative work sessions on climate change, including what is happening globally and locally, and what can be done about it. The program is based on the belief that climate solutions must be accessible to individuals who are most directly affected by climate change, so participants will learn how to seek and incorporate input from climate-vulnerable populations into project design. By the end of this program, participants will be expected to apply their learning and develop a community service project that promotes climate resiliency.

“The impacts of climate change have never been so clear and concerning,” said Erich Osterberg, UVAW vice chair and associate professor of earth sciences at Dartmouth. We need to empower citizen leaders to help our local communities reduce greenhouse gases while also becoming more resilient to the climate changes that are already happening.”

Sessions will take place every other Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., starting March 24, 2021, with the graduation taking place June 16, 2021. The sessions will be held virtually via Zoom until it is safe to meet in person. Attendance is expected at every meeting and a light dinner will be provided for any in-person session.

For more information contact Ana Mejia, Vital Communities climate projects coordinator, at ana@vitalcommunities.org or 802-291-9100 x114.

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