A proposed statewide Resilience Service Network could scale service programs in ways that build community capacity and achieve greater climate resilience.
The State of North Carolina is making unprecedented investments in building resilience to the effects of our changing climate. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated for a statewide flood resiliency modeling effort, coastal community planning, floodplain protection, stormwater management, and reducing the vulnerability of transportation systems, to name a few of the vital investments. Billions of additional dollars from federal sources have also been earmarked for climate resilience.
Local leaders across North Carolina are constrained by community capacity to access the funds. For such investments to be effective, communities must be able to take advantage of the information, support, and financial resources made available. Local leaders have the drive and desire to implement climate resilience projects but often lack the capacity on their team to manage the talent pool, provide a living wage, or sustain program funding year-over-year.
To address this vulnerability, CTNC is working with the state and local nonprofit organizations to form the Resilience Service Network, a new service program to build community capacity around climate resilience projects. CTNC’s long-standing AmeriCorps program, Resilience Corps NC, is a model for the foundation of this new program that would leverage AmeriCorps and other service programs to assist communities by expanding local capacity.
Existing and new service programs are well-positioned to play a vital role in assisting communities seeking to leverage the climate resilience investments being made. The Resilience Service Network will support the service infrastructure in North Carolina to meet the goals of local leaders:
- Members will be matched with organizations with the focus and resources to guide their work.
- Expanded service programs must first reach under-resourced areas to impact the greatest climate resilience needs.
- To attract the diverse talent needed to support communities, service members must be paid a living wage and provided sufficient support for living within their communities.
- To deliver new kinds of support as local community needs are more clearly identified, a statewide network of existing and new service providers must have sustained and growing investment.
Service programs can help alleviate community resource concerns, build a resilience-oriented workforce, and maximize additional investments in the state’s resilience. North Carolina is primed to lead the nation on creative and innovative solutions for climate action. CTNC will work with partners across our state to make it happen.
Read the articles below to see how the Resilience Service Network leverages local talent for state-wide climate impact.
To connect with us on the Climate Service Network, inquire about joining as a partner organization or host site, or learn more about how service programs can work in your community, email americorps@ctnc.org.