Does your neighbourhood need a climate champion? Is it you?
City launches program to find and train local leaders to help develop climate action projects
The City of Toronto is looking for champions. Neighbourhood Climate Action Champions to be exact.
Residents and community leaders who can devote four or five hours to educating and collaborating with residents to develop local climate action projects reflecting the diverse needs and values of their communities.
Applications are open until mid-October or until positions are filled.
If you’re accepted, you’ll be trained in November and December, and then you can start your career as a climate action champion.
You’ll also receive an honorarium of $500. That’s for about 50 hours of work over a year.
The city is looking to recruit 10 to 20 champions for the program to begin with, city staff says. The goal is to fill each ward and neighbourhood with a champion in the future.
“The program was created to cultivate local neighbourhood leaders to inspire, motivate, and encourage residents to undertake community-focused climate actions together,” says Nancy Ruscica, manager of outreach and engagement for Toronto. “The goal is to empower residents to reduce the carbon footprint of their neighbourhoods by developing innovative local climate action projects that support the diverse values and needs of their communities.”
Apply online
Among the qualifications required to become a neighbourhood climate action champion are you must be 18 years or older, have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and perhaps be currently engaged in climate action work or community work.
Priority will be given people from communities experiencing social, economic and other barriers, including people of colour, newcomers, LGBTQ2IAA persons, women, Indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities, according to the city’s announcement of the program on Sept. 18.
Already, in the first five days, 46 applications have been received, city staff reports.
More information on the Neighbourhood Climate Action Champions program and the application can be found online.
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