The Community Environmental Council (CEC) will offer a free climate activist training in Spanish and English, 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 at CEC’s new Environmental Hub, 1219 State St., and via Zoom.
The hybrid, bilingual event, Climate Activist Training: How to Participate in Government Meetings, is the first of its kind at CEC. It will provide guidance to individuals so they can have greater input on climate policy decisions that impact their communities.
CEC policy director Michael Chiacos will present information, resources and instructions on how to get involved in local climate and environmental policy, including how to attend city council, board of supervisors, and other government meetings, how to read an agenda, and how to make an effective public comment.
CEC’s Climate Policy team will review the biggest climate policy wins of 2023, and how members of the public can help advocate for strong climate policy in their communities.
After the training, attendees can sign up to become a CEC Climate Activist and be notified when there are opportunities to advocate for strong climate policy in their local community.
The training comes at a critical time as extreme weather events and other climate impacts continue to increase along the Central Coast, according to the CEC.
Local climate policies play a vital role in reversing climate change, repairing climate-related damage, and protecting communities, and public input into these policies has never been more important, the CEC said.
“Many of the climate policy wins we saw this past year were rooted in regional, grassroots actions taken by community members who showed up at local government meetings to voice their concerns, ask questions, and make public comment,” said Chiacos.
“By offering this Climate Activist training, we hope to equip and inspire more everyday individuals to take action and help our region enact the bold policies we need to bring equitable climate solutions to scale,” he said.
Offered in Spanish and English, the training aims to provide greater language access and create a space where underrepresented voices can be empowered to take part in decision-making that impacts their community.
“It isn’t easy for many of our community members to get involved — meetings and hearings are unfamiliar and uncomfortable places, policy is complicated to understand, and language is a huge barrier for non-English speakers,” said Ana Rico, CEC’s community ambassador.
“For policy to work well for the whole community, we need to create channels for two-way communication, form connections, and ultimately, arrive at mutual respect,” Rico said. “We hope this training will teach community members how to advocate for themselves and others, and that their voices do count.”
CEC participates in Central Coast climate policy-making processes and has been instrumental in several city- and county-level climate policy wins. To learn more about CEC’s Climate Policy Platform, visit https://cecsb.org/2022-2023-policy-platform.
Rooted Language Justice will offer Spanish translation and interpretation and TV Santa Barbara will offer technical and video support.
Learn more about the event and register for in-person or Zoom attendance at https://cecsb.org/events/climate-activist-training-how-to-participate-in-government-meetings.