350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

Hello all,

I’m writing to remind you about two opportunities that are kicking off soon. The new Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) caucus has an Apr. 2 deadline to complete a very short survey. The PowerUp: Fundamentals for Local Groups training and coaching series has an Apr. 4 deadline to register. You’ll find more information about both opportunities below. Lastly, if you missed Wednesday’s training on Centering Equity in Storytelling, you can watch the recording or listen here (slides here).

Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) caucus

350.org recognizes the importance of supporting and empowering Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) local group members. As part of our commitment to becoming a multiracial organization that organizes a multiracial base we hope to support our local groups in creating truly inclusive and diverse spaces that center BIPOC leadership.

One way we hope to support BIPOC local group leaders is by creating a BIPOC caucus – a space to connect, discuss justice and equity issues and practices and get support from one another. We’re reaching out to share a survey to gauge BIPOC local group members’ interest in participating in a caucus, as well as gather feedback on what would make this caucus most useful.

If you identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color, are a member of a local 350 group, and are interested in participating in a 350 BIPOC caucus please fill out this survey as well as this Doodle poll. Please forward this to BIPOC members of your local group who may not be on this email list.

We will schedule an initial virtual meeting between interested local group BIPOC members to gather feedback on the purpose and function of the BIPOC caucus. Please fill these two items out by Tuesday, April 2, 2019. For more information, please contact Eddie (edward.junsay@350.org) and Marquese (marquese.averett@350.org).

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PowerUp: Fundamentals for Local Groups

The spring series of PowerUp: Fundamentals for Local Groups is starting in mid-April! PowerUp is a training and coaching program focused on key concepts and organizing skills for local 350 groups in the US. In total we’ll hold four training sessions (via Zoom) interspersed with four individualized coaching sessions for each group. Here’s a 1 page summary of what we’ll cover, who can participate, and when it will be.

Here is some feedback we heard from the first PowerUp series participants:

“I am so glad I did these calls. I have been working here for 2 1/2 years but never felt connected to the global group. Will not let that happen for newer folks!”

“It is always hard to strike the right balance with training and I think you did a great job…. Trainers [were] welcoming, thoughtful and engaging.”

“I found [the coaching] super helpful, with lots of great suggestions from [my coach], and really nice to have that kind of support.”

“Coaching calls allowed us to talk about the training material as it specifically relates to our group and areas we need to develop. Really helped us with developing our group.”

To sign up, please complete this brief form by Thursday, April 4. If you have questions or would like to hear more, feel free to call or email me (207-522-3238 or michelle@350.org).

Thank you,

Michelle