Citizens Climate Lobby

Organizing workshop held online in Florida; IT update on Zoom bombing

	CCL Weekly Briefing, April 8, 2020

Table of Contents:
	Register for Earth Day event
	Take action this week
	Featured political will lever: Grasstops
	Training topics
	This week on the CCL blog

Registration open for CCL

Earth Day event with Hayhoe

Registration is now open for our virtual Earth Day event on April 25 with Katharine Hayhoe. And here’s the really good news: It’s free!

After hearing from Dr. Hayhoe, participants can take one of three easy actions from home to help the climate. Following the action, people can join one of four breakout sessions:

Climate Advocate Training: This two-hour session will give newcomers the tools to become effective climate advocates and also the opportunity to learn more about Citizens’ Climate Lobby and how to participate with a local chapter.
CCL Volunteer Spotlight Panel: Moderated by Citizens’ Climate Radio host Peterson Toscano, this session features a conversation with volunteers who are profiled in our documentary series.
Climate Organizing During the Pandemic: In this 90-minute session, CCL staffers will cover how to take action from home to move Congress forward on climate solutions.
Depolarizing Within: A Better Way to Prepare for Climate Discussions: Presented by Braver Angels (formerly Better Angels), this two-hour session will help participants to take a more productive approach to engaging people we disagree with.

With in-person Earth Day events canceled throughout the country, this online event is a great way to introduce new people to CCL. Share this with your friends, especially those in need of climate hope.

Other news this week:

Elli’s Florida tour goes virtual: CCL Director of Field Development Elli Sparks was set to tour through Florida during March and April, but the COVID-19 pandemic altered her plans. Not to be deterred, she and Southeast Regional Coordinator Solemi Hernandez held a Five Levers Organizing Workshop on Zoom for Floridians.

Tea time with Elli: Speaking of Elli Sparks, if you’d like to know a little more about our Director of Field Development or have questions about organizing your chapter, Elli will be available Friday for our Hang Out With a Staffer at noon ET/9 a.m. PT. Bring a brown bag lunch or your favorite hot beverage and spend a little time with Elli. See connection details and upcoming hangouts here.

Securing Zoom meetings: You may have seen the stories about interlopers who are “Zoom bombing” to disrupt online meetings. Our IT Department offers some tips and tools to keep troublemakers at bay. Learn more.

Share your volunteer story: Interested in being featured in a video or on CCL's blog? Sign up to share your story about COVID-19, your climate advocacy, or anything else on your mind. We'll contact you to schedule a conversation. Fill out the form here.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Hang out with a CCL staff member or CCL Regional Coordinator online. Get to know each other, build camaraderie, and ask any questions you may have about climate advocacy or their work. If you’re trying to get more active with CCL, this is a great opportunity to learn more about what others are working on and where you can get plugged in. To select a time to meet, check out the schedule of staff hangouts and Regional Coordinator office hours.

If you have more time: Make a list of the local groups where you are a member, like clubs, neighborhood organizations, or faith groups. Reach out to your fellow members of those groups with an email, phone call, or a social media post, and invite them to join you at CCL’s Uniting from Home Earth Day event on April 25.

You can also connect with your nearest CCL chapter to take action in your community, or join one of CCL’s national online Action Teams to take action on specific topics like agriculture, health, faith, and more.

Browse CCL Community’s Event Calendar to find upcoming events, trainings, and calls you can join.

Grasstops: Supporting local business on social

Many of our volunteers have built relationships with businesses in their communities: they’ve sought endorsements from their owners, held chapter meetings in their establishments, and more. During social distancing, some volunteers are keeping those relationships going.

Breanna Cooke, a member of the Dallas Central CCL chapter, said, “We've been trying to find ways to show love to the businesses we worked with back when we could meet in person.” So they took to Instagram! “We highlighted the pizza place where we have happy hours and the bookstore that hosts our Climate Book Club,” Breanna explains, tagging them in posts and encouraging others in the community to support them. “They've appreciated the extra love on social media and it's been a nice way for us to still engage. Everyone needs a little extra love right now!”

CCL volunteers are regularly activating the “five levers” of political will in their communities. If you’d like to learn more about grasstops engagement work and connecting with local businesses like these volunteers did, watch or read this training on “Engaging Community Leaders.”

LEARN TO ENGAGE THE GRASSTOPS

Training topics

CCL offers two ongoing learning series: Citizens' Climate University for existing volunteers, and Core Volunteer Training for new volunteers. Here are the next few sessions you can join:

4/9 Citizens' Climate University: Climate Communications Training with Hannah Pickard - Our guest speaker from last month’s national call leads a session to help make conversations about climate change more positive, civic-minded and solutions-focused. Learn more.

4/14 Core Volunteer Training: Grassroots Outreach Basics - Tabling and presentations are the top ways to attract more people to CCL. Learn best practices for these tools in this training. Learn more.

4/16 Citizens' Climate University: Preparing for Media Interviews - Want to talk about CCL on TV or radio? Communications Director Flannery Winchester will tell you how to prepare for your interview. Learn more.

To see upcoming topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community.

This week on the CCL blog

Host a great Zoom meeting: In-person meetings are currently not an option during the COVID-19 emergency, and so CCLers are going online to get together. CCL staffers Brett Cease and Elli Sparks recently led a training on how to host a great Zoom meeting. Read more.

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CCL Climate Advocate Training
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