By Katie Modic - Executive Director

A long-time funder of Communitopia recently asked me, what does a successful 2022 look like for your organization? That got me thinking about what we stand for and what success in any given year looks like for an organization like ours. Here are my thoughts…

Success for Communitopia would look like youth, especially our black and brown students who disproportionately experience the impacts of the changing climate, standing in solidarity in front of peers, teachers, elected officials, and anyone else who will listen to share their story as they make suggestions to ensure a brighter, healthier, more sustainable future for themselves. A REAL success would then be having the audience listen and follow in stride! Of course, their actions would result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and healthier, more resilient local communities.

In addition, a successful 2022 would include a focused board of directors who value diversity, equity and inclusion, who have clarity on their roles and responsibilities within the organization and who leverage their strengths to help Communitopia meet its goals. It would look like a healthy and thriving staff who are passionate about their work, bring their best to the community members we serve, and constantly reflect on their strengths and areas for growth and learn from their missteps. It would look like hundreds of new students from environmental justice communities engaging in our climate change workshops, youth groups and after school clubs and in turn, joining the chorus of other youth voices crying out for common sense climate change policy locally and federally. It would look like teachers and district administrators confidently infusing climate change lessons and policy decisions into their professional routines and henceforth, guiding students toward sustainable change.

Finally, it would look like funding flowing in to support all of this critical on-the-ground climate change work, including funding to provide stipends to the local students and teachers who show dedication and commitment to our initiatives and maybe even enough funding allowing us to dream bigger and bolder moving forward.

ONWARD!