The most effective conversations about climate interpretation and education are happening at regional scales. Climate impacts are unfolding differently in each region, while solutions take different shapes in different communities. At the same time, each region is home to a unique group of climate communicators with specialized professional development needs. To better serve the professional development needs of the nation’s interpreters and informal educators, Earth to Sky is training and supporting a network of regional teams.
Who are the regional leaders?
Each regional team is made up of leaders that are recruited from a broad base of agencies and organizations. The regional leaders have proven their ability to mentor and train their peers, their skills in collaboration, and their strong network of communicators and experts in their region. Each team defines its own geographic area and the target audience they seek to support.
What do the regional teams do?
The regional teams offer Earth to Sky professional development courses in climate science and communication that are tailored to locally relevant issues. They nurture a regional community of practice of climate communicators via tailored messages, webinars, gatherings, and connections. Overall, the teams serve as a focal point for climate communicators and move the conversation in their region forward.
How are regional teams connected to the national Earth to Sky team?
Together, regional Earth to Sky leaders form a community of their own, supporting each other and providing valuable expertise to the national Earth to Sky team. In turn, the national team fosters the development of new regions around the country and provides specialized training, support, and mentorship for the regional leaders.
Teams receive their initial training at the Earth to Sky Academy, a tuition-free five-day course held at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Four teams participated in the first Academy in 2019. Five teams attended the second Academy in 2022. Six teams will be trained at the third Academy in November 2024. The fourth Academy will be in 2025.