Start to identify where and how service programs are already addressing climate change and what gaps may exist relative to state goals or activities
Whether through AmeriCorps associated programs such as VISTA or NCCC, youth service programs, or other service program models, there is likely an existing service base in your state that already works on climate-related issues. Not only is this foundational infrastructure for a broader statewide climate corps effort, these programs have perspective on current actions and may have insight on gaps, room to expand, and saturation points. Taking the pulse of the existing service stakeholders is important to define capacity and interest. In many cases, meeting with existing service stakeholders can help identify resources, stakeholders, and champions necessary for successful implementation of a statewide initiative.
To meet the needs of the climate risks in your state, your state will likely need to grow the relevant service base in your state either through expanded or new programming. But where and how service programming should grow and who will be key to that growth are important questions to consider up front. Building a state climate corps is not only about growing or fielding service programs but about framing service as a more comprehensive and connected way to address state climate needs.
Conducting a landscape analysis, like the one below in North Carolina, can identify programming strengths and gaps as well as provide important relational dimensions. In most cases, service programs operating in a state are doing so with limited connection and coordination. Some programs may appreciate the effort to look at a statewide climate corps effort. Other programs may feel concerned with how this process will affect their existing programming and resources. Being mindful of this dynamic is important to get the best picture of the current landscape and to ensure that it does not lead to resistance that might ultimately diminish the prospects for a statewide effort. As noted in the example above, the effort in North Carolina made sure to dedicate time and resources to gather input from the existing service community so their interests and concerns could factor in the overall perspective that emerged.
In addition to relationship building within the service community, a landscaping effort can be an exceptional way to build broader stakeholder relationships. Through surveys and focus groups, you will not only learn what different groups (i.e., local governments, nonprofits, state agencies) want from a climate corps, but you will share your initial vision for how a climate corps might help them meet their needs and their enthusiasm.
Resources will determine the exact methods and approach undertaken, but we believe there are a couple of general considerations to make this useful. Generally speaking, it is useful to combine methods for this work so that you capture a larger number of diverse perspectives through surveys and provide opportunities for deeper conversations (ideally in group settings) to better understand the bigger picture sentiment that might arise. Returning to the North Carolina example, one of the ideas that was not visible in the survey results, but which was very strongly apparent in the group conversations, was the importance of a backbone or coordinating entity that could help disparate programs better align with statewide goals and support a greater collective impact. Second, it is important to acknowledge that while assessing the landscape of existing service programs provides valuable insights based on their current knowledge, there are likely needs across the state that are not yet known within the service community. Third, in seeking diverse perspectives, it is important to sample a range of potential partners and supporters (i.e., state, local, nonprofits) as they have different needs and outlooks on climate and potential for service in their domains. Finally, equity is a consideration in climate work and is important in the service world, too. Engaging with under-represented groups and communities will certainly strengthen your landscape work but can be challenging to accomplish. Knowing this upfront can help you allocate resources appropriately to ensure your results do not reflect what is already known by those doing this work but rather better reflects where the real needs, opportunities, and of course challenges with developing a climate corps lie.
Explore Further
North Carolina Resilience Service Network: The case for support
Through a planning grant from Volunteer North Carolina, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina engaged in a comprehensive process to gather information and input on the role service programs can play in building community capacity around climate resilience. Over a period of several months in late 2022 and early 2023, the team conducted a multi-prong landscaping effort that included 1) analysis of existing service program capacity, 2) surveys of both community stakeholders (i.e., nonprofits, local governments, and state agencies) and existing service programs, 3) one-on-one interviews with community and service program representatives, and 4) group conversations by stakeholder type (state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and service programs). The resulting recommendations report (representing every region of North Carolina) “affirm[s] that existing and new service programs are well-positioned to play a vital role in assisting communities seeking to leverage the climate resilience investments being made.” However, to meet the needs identified, “service must be expanded and substantively changed to realize this potential:
- To garner the full value of their service, members must be matched with organizations that have the focus and resources to guide their work.
- To impact the greatest climate resilience needs, expanded service programs must reach into under-resourced areas first.
- To attract the diverse talent needed to support communities, service members must be paid a living wage and provided sufficient support for living within their communities.
- To deliver new kinds of support as local community needs are more clearly identified, a statewide network of existing and new service providers must have sustained and growing investment.”
Inspiring examples of how climate corps are coming together
In 2023, Service Year Alliance released a Climate and Environmental Resilience Guide that shares new resources to develop, expand, and enhance service year programming. The guide includes several examples of climate corps activities from states across the country, as well as sources of federal funding.
There are also three related roadmaps to specific climate and environmental resilience service year program approaches that provide additional details, models, and examples to build from.
Action Steps
- Start by cataloging service programs and their potential alignment with climate efforts. Take note of the issues they work on, the regions they are working in, their site partnerships, and their theory of change models. Compare this research with what you may know of needs, priorities, and plans in your state. Include programs that focus on climate change work, as well as other service programs.
- Engage service programs with the resources you have (survey, meetings, focus groups). Use this effort to build a better understanding of service programs and identify what works and what does not, their needs and wants (including financial), and what barriers to implementation exist. It is also helpful to see where programs view their role in a future climate corps network. Through this process, consider what service activities might be cross-functional, such as education, economic development, capacity-building, and volunteer engagement. See Appendix for a sample program survey and meeting outlines.
- Engage the broader landscape of potential partners and other key stakeholders. The relationships that could form between you and your partners through the engagement process has the potential to unlock substantial impacts. As with programs, design your outreach at a level appropriate to your resources (survey, meetings, focus groups). Possible topics for exploration include interest and challenges in hosting climate corps members, priorities for climate change response in the state, types of roles climate corps members could play, and willingness to pay or ideas for resourcing. The earlier the better for collaborating with other entities to co-build your initiative with wider support. See Appendix for a sample community partner survey and meeting outlines.
- Talk with colleges and universities who have climate programs to identify what skills and roles they are providing introductions to (and what their support might be for future programs).
- Solicit program design input from a broad coalition of stakeholders, including:
- Key community-based organizations (CBOs) working to elevate equity issues in addressing climate change in the state
- Current and previous AmeriCorps members
- Youth, who can provide valuable information about their vision for the future
- Consider building an advisory group or thought leaders from your coalition of stakeholders. Make sure you structure your objectives and intended outcomes early to ensure the group is a good use of everyone’s time. To do this, you can start by asking yourself:
- Is the goal of the advisory group to connect you to the community need at a grassroots level and understand how to break down barriers to participation or engage a particular sector?
- Is the group made up of higher level stakeholders to help you advance a legislative or funding agenda?
- Are you bringing together this group of people as they have a particular set of skills to jump in on a particular implementation task?
- Examine the structure of other state-level climate corps to see how they are defining their landscape (i.e., Minnesota Climate Impact Corps, Colorado Climate Corps). If possible, review existing state climate corps reports (i.e., California, Maine) to identify the methods and approaches taken to understand their own landscape. Even better, set up meetings with representatives of these initiatives to learn how they developed their landscape and response approach.
- Use results from collective outreach efforts to outline the current base of service, alignment with state goals (not just climate, but workforce, health, etc.), and gaps in the field. Depending on available resources, draft potential structures that leverage existing strengths while also getting to a state-wide scale. Such structures may be conceptual or diagrammatic or may include initial budget ideas.