The vast majority of people in the United States are concerned about climate change, but 81% of us say they rarely or never discuss climate change in their daily lives. It can be hard to know how to bring up with friends and family, even if we want to!
On Monday, May 23, at 4 PT/7 ET, you’re invited to a workshop where you’ll learn how to use your own experiences to shift the climate narrative in the spaces you’re already in, and use storytelling to help build a more just climate future. This training is hosted by volunteer leaders like you organizing to pass bold legislation for climate, care, jobs, and justice.
Join us on May 23 to strengthen our ability to create a livable planet and safe, healthy communities through storytelling? (Or sign up to get the recording!)
If you’re reading this email, you’re likely concerned about climate change, the state of our democracy, the injustice of corporations poisoning our most vulnerable communities, and much more.
But a lot of us (myself included!) struggle to know how to talk about these issues with friends and family, even if we think they’ll agree with us politically.
What holds us back from speaking up about climate? How can we be more effective in having these climate conversations and invite our communities into action?
According to a poll from Pew Research Center, 81 percent of people in the United States say they rarely or never discuss climate change in their daily lives. Another 74 percent say they’ve never been engaged to take climate action by a friend or family member.1,2
Yet the vast majority of people in the United States are concerned about climate change. Building and supporting resilient communities and the planet that sustains us must start by communicating the challenges, which we know is powerful in moving the opinions and inciting action in people who care about us.
You are the best messenger to influence your friends and families. The stories you share with the people around you are far more powerful than anything media institutions, governments, and even organizations like the Sierra Club could ever say or do. Especially in today’s polarized world, the best way to get more people engaged is to start the conversation by sharing our own stories and coming from a place of values and personal experience.
What: Storytelling Workshop
Where: On Zoom. Sign up to get the link here!
When: Monday, May 23, 4-6 pm PT/ 7-9 pm ET.
Can’t make that time? Sign up anyway to get the recording and stay in the loop about future opportunities to build your storytelling skills for climate conversations.
In order for us to pass bold policies, force corporations to act, or create the other kinds of transformative change we need right now, first we need to change the story about what is possible. By getting our stories and experiences out there, we can help shift the dominant societal and cultural narratives that shape what is or isn’t politically feasible.
Stories impact people more than facts. They create space for us to resonate and see a path for hopeful action. They allow the person viewing, listening to, or reading a story to connect more deeply with the situation and see themselves as a part of a meaningful solution.
In the workshop, you’ll:
- Hear from expert storytellers on best practices
- Learn a sample structure for telling your story and incorporating climate conversation into everyday moments with friends and family.
- Hear example stories from other volunteers.
- Identify challenges you have faced, what accomplishments you’ve helped achieve, and practice crafting a story from those experiences.
- Build community with other changemakers from across the nation working to build a more just and livable future.
- Walk away with resources to continue practicing together.
Hillary Larson
Senior Digital Campaigner, Sierra Club
Lakewood United Church of Christ 