“Good Morning! If you don’t mind, how did you get to the market today?”
“I rode my bike of course.”
“That’s great did you know what an awesome Climate Action that is?
-Typical Climate Corps Greeting
Year Two of the CASM Climate Corps youth engagement program succeeded beyond our imagination. After tripling our candidate pool, which included alumnae from our 2016 pilot program, fifteen college and high school students were selected for paid summer internships. The 2017 program cast a wide net and reached out to local neighborhoods to preview the City’s upcoming Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, focusing on energy, water, transportation, food and zero-waste.
Corps members received four full-days of intensive training by CASM or City staff and local climate professionals before setting out to engage in climate conversations with over 1000 people, including surveying over 700 respondents in face-to-face community engagement. The multilingual Interns boosted understanding about sustainability among diverse communities, including the Community Corps residents and visitors to our COAST booth.
The Climate Corps’ special projects included researching and critiquing the City’s Draft EV Plan, establishing recycling messages on the Promenade, and interpreting sustainability workshops with Community Corporation residents. Three Corps members leveraged their CASM Climate Corps experience to be selected for Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leaders Training in October 2017.
“Our residents have a voice, and their voice is heard through the votes they make. By educating them, they will vote for what is best for not only their future but for a better future for all. It is our responsibility to create solutions needed for the transition to a sustainable world, and Climate Corps is the perfect opportunity.”
— Marina Mihailova
2017 Climate Corps Mentor
2016 Climate Corps Intern
Climate Corps 2017 Graduation Ceremony with Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer
(Top Left) and Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole (Top Left)
The Climate Corps 2017 Team
Vania Bravo, SaMoHi ’17 • Mt. St. Mary’s
Nick Chun, SaMoHi ’17 • UC Berkeley
Sixtine Foucaut, SaMoHi ’17 • Chapman College
Samantha Garcia, Pacifica Christian School 10th grade
Justin Han, Santa Monica College
Autry Isom, SaMoHi 11th grade
Lara Khosla, SaMoHi, 11th grade
Matilda Loughmiller, San Jose State sophomore
Danny Maier, University of Washington, Junior
Melissa Marin, UC Santa Cruz junior
Zoe Parcells, SaMoHi ’17 • UC Berkeley
Darlene Rueda, Santa Monica College
Amy Southern, SaMoHi 10th grade
Dexter Vinant-Tang, SaMoHi 11h grade
Mica Williams, SaMoHi 11th grade
Marina Mihailova, Mentor Intern, Santa Monica College