Climate Stories Ambassadors
Registration is open for the Spring 2023 Climate Stories Ambassadors cohort!
The first meeting is on March 29 at noon Eastern Standard Time.
Are you excited about building the climate storytelling movement? Climate Stories Project is seeking Climate Stories Ambassadors to carry out interviews and share climate stories from communities around the world.
One of the greatest barriers to an effective and inclusive climate change movement is the lack of everyday conversations between community members about the climate crisis, including observations of change, engagement with emotional responses, and envisioning positive ways forward. As a Climate Stories Ambassador, you'll receive training, structure, and guidance to communicate with others in your community about their personal responses to the changing climate.
Here's what you'll do as a Climate Stories Ambassador:
Here's what you'll do as a Climate Stories Ambassador:
- Learn how to set up climate story interviews in your community
- Receive training and guidance to conduct climate story interviews
- Connect with other Climate Stories Ambassadors from around the world
- Learn valuable environmental communication skills
- Receive a certificate of completion of Climate Stories Ambassadors initiative
- Promote an inclusive and effective movement to confront the climate crisis
As a Climate Stories Ambassador, we ask that you record your own climate story and carry out and record 1-3 climate story interviews with people in your own community during a 3-month time span. Following the initial online training, we ask that you take part in two additional online meetings to discuss your progress with other Ambassadors and learn from each other about using climate storytelling to promote an effective response to the climate crisis.
The Climate Stories Ambassadors initiative is open to anyone from all ages and walks of life. You'll come away with a deeper connection to climate change as a vital personal and community issue, and make local, national, and international connections with people passionate about the climate storytelling movement.
The Climate Stories Ambassadors initiative can also be adapted for classroom use. There is no fee for participation, but registration is required.
The Climate Stories Ambassadors initiative can also be adapted for classroom use. There is no fee for participation, but registration is required.
Here are some useful documents to help you conduct climate story interviews:
Listen to stories from our Fall 2022 Climate Stories Ambassadors:
Here are some interviews and stories from previous Climate Stories Ambassadors:
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Absalom was interviewed by Climate Stories Ambassador, Nyendo Kinyonga. The interview was conducted in Swahili and the English translation appears below:
My name is Absalom David Kinyonga. I live in Morogoro, Tanzania. It’s true. There is a big change in the weather, especially in the rain. For example, this year, rain has been very scarce. We expected it to rain early, from November to December. It didn’t rain. It started raining in February. It did not rain much, only until March. So, you will see that the crops didn’t grow well as expected. Those which had germinated were destroyed, and they started to wither because there was no more rain in April. Yes. Yes. The rivers dried up. There was a time when the rivers didn’t have water. And then later there were floods, and the rivers later dried up again. I remember that, even for the animals, the neighbors here moved around to graze. Many animals died. You’d see that elephants were roaming about from the forest into the cities in search of pastures. It will be greatly affected because we will not be able to harvest produce from the farming we do. That’s because the crops won’t grow as desired. Crops grow well only for a short time, and then there is a scarcity of rain. Therefore we will be affected by famine. Yes. Because with heavy rains over a short period of time, you find that the changes in climate result in flooding, and then the rain goes away. And the rain doesn’t come in the seasons it did in previous years. Climate change is due to the destruction of forests and careless farming near river banks etc., which causes erosion, which is eroded to rivers and puts a lot of mud such that trees and leaves do not grow well. And weeds grow in the water, which greatly affects the weather. In my opinion, I think it will greatly affect the future because we see that some parts have started to—some islands have started flooding because of the weather. Because the water cycles are controlled by the presence of trees. Trees prevent water erosion. They absorb water in the forests. But now there are no trees in the forests. What will stop water erosion? Thus they turn into deserts. We create deserts ourselves through agriculture, housing construction, and so on. Frankly, where we are headed, the future seems to have a lot of challenges. We see an example in Ethiopia, Somalia, and elsewhere. It has even come to the nearby Kenya, where deserts are increasing due to lack of rain. And rain is attracted by trees. Now, I see that the professional systems aren’t doing enough follow-up. Why can’t people be hired to do the activity of planting trees and taking care of them by watering all of them? Or the central governments in villages, estates, etc. should manage them. (Translation by Hannah Kwirikia) |
Sunset over Cerros la Ventolera
View of Cerros la Ventolera
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Climate Stories Ambassador Hannia Candelario speaks about her connections with the natural world around San José, Costa Rica, her observations of the impacts of the changing climate, and her pride in the efforts of Costa Rica to promote a healthy environment.
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