As members of NNOCCI, we all know about the importance of having a community to support our journey as educators. Having a professional community like NNOCCI is vital for our wellbeing and professional growth. A strong sense of community helps reduce isolation in roles that are often solo, temporary, or poorly defined. This can be particularly important when teaching about challenging subjects such as climate change. Being part of a community like NNOCCI can help strengthen professional identity in the field of informal education which often has fluid roles and career pathways. Community supports belonging and retention, especially for early-career and marginalized educators. Working together in community can build our collective capacity to share resources and advocate for the field. It also drives meaningful professional learning through shared practice and peer exchange. Which in turn improves learner experiences, as educator belonging enables more inclusive, confident practice.
As members of the NNOCCI community, we have been fortunate to have access to all of these benefits to our practice and well being. A couple of years ago, I conducted a study* with members of the original NNOCCI study circles from 2009-2011. What we found when talking with this group was the role NNOCCI played in career advancement, positive influences on their personal lives, and the importance of having access to a community of people who cared about and were engaged in the same kind of work. One of my favorite quotes was that joining the NNOCCI network was “like finding something I didn’t know I desperately needed.” The most common theme we heard was about the importance of community support and how NNOCCI allowed the members to collaborate with one another, build lifelong friendships, and find support from “other people who are pushing forward in the same sector.” One person said they were “so grateful to find my people.” Research shows that it’s not enough to know the content, we also need the support of community to cultivate hope and continue to improve our climate change interpretation.
I’ve been a member of NNOCCI since 2010 and am so grateful to all of you who make up this community and help support my practice. Unfortunately, not all informal educators have access to groups like ours. So to try to address this, I am helping to launch a new organization, the Community of Aquarium, Museum, Zoo, and Informal Educators, or CAMZIE. We’re building a new community to connect informal educators everywhere. This is where we can share ideas, swap stories, cheer each other on, and grow together. You’ll find a vibrant forum, a resource hub, skill building workshops, and a newsletter packed with opportunities. If you’re interested in growing your network in addition to the one we have with NNOCCI, I’d like to invite you to join CAMZIE. The website will be launching soon but in the meantime you can learn more about how to join.
Professional learning communities like NNOCCI and CAMZIE are vital to supporting our practice, our career growth, and our sense of community. I hope you’ll reach out to me if you have any questions about our NNOCCI community research or how CAMZIE can support you.
Lessons from COP23 – The Power Of CommunityLessons from COP23 – The Power Of Community Allison Arteaga, November 21 2017 Last week, the world’s leading voices on climate change gathered in Bonn, Germany for the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Since last year’s conference in Marrakech, the political [READ MORE]
The Right Message from the Right MessengerThe Right Message from the Right Messenger Allison Arteaga, December 20 2017 The National Network for Ocean & Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) has some exciting news for climate change communicators! Those of you who have received training in Strategic Framing® techniques through the network may recall collecting pre- and post- training [READ MORE]
IPCC Communications Tips for ScientistsIPCC Communications Tips for Scientists Allison Arteaga, February 07 2018 In late January, ahead of the anticipated release of a new IPCC report later this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a new handbook for their scientific authors on how to more effectively engage the public and communicate about climate change [READ MORE]
To Frame Climate Change, Lead with a Researched Value—Not a “Rogue” OneTo Frame Climate Change, Lead with a Researched Value—Not a “Rogue” One January 20 2017 This is the sixth post in a series about framing ocean and climate change. So, you want to motivate the public to take action to address climate and ocean change? One of the most important communications moves you can make is to open with a broad statement [READ MORE]
Climate Emotions: Helpless Or Hopeful?Climate Emotions: Helpless Or Hopeful? by Heidi Zamzow, April 17 2019 With the recent IPCC warning that we may have perhaps a dozen years before we encounter severe and irreversible impacts of climate change, it comes as little surprise that a recent survey* in climate communications research indicates 7 in 10 people in the U.S. are concerned [READ MORE]