Climate Impact Corps Member Helps Build Stronger Climate-Focused Communities

“I really wanted to do something to get involved,” says Anna, a recent college graduate and member of Climate Impact Corps.  

Their work through Climate Impact Corps involves making connections and planning events to foster community around environmental issues. While this field was never on their radar in college, Anna has always had a passion for equity and sustainability. AmeriCorps service is giving them a new way to pursue those passions while learning more about the earth! 

Anna’s service focused on building climate local resilience. This means connecting with community members and providing opportunities to learn and engage in climate activities. Climate Impact members also take turns attending and evaluating each other’s events. This collaboration helped Anna not only learn from their peers, but grow their own personal sense of community as well. 

“It's great to have someone watch you because you think you're doing one thing, but maybe you should be doing it a different way,” they explain.  

One event that stood for Anna last summer was a guided nature walk. While helping the group practice mindfulness, Anna facilitated discussion about the importance of building a connection with nature, how your environment impacts your emotional wellbeing and other topics. Community members enjoyed the opportunity to connect and reflect.  “It felt deeply calming,” Anna recalls. “It was a really nice conversation.” 

Recently, Anna has also started collaborating with a professor at a nearby university to plan an environmentalism event for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.  

“I wanted to focus on a marginalized group in the community,” they say. “I am a queer person, and I've kind of felt a little bit judged or uncomfortable in nature spaces before just because of my identity. I want to do something focused on those people who have maybe felt uncomfortable, making them have a space that they could do a cool activity that they've never been able to do before and also feel comfortable doing it." 

Just as serving in Climate Impact Corps has allowed Anna to blossom in a new field, they hope the event can give other marginalized people the same opportunity. 

“What we're doing here is trying to learn more and more about our community,” Anna says. “I think the earth is something that you can just kind of endlessly keep learning more and more about, and I'm learning more and more each day.”