Community Ambassadors

Efforts to develop rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis hinge on our ability to engage our full Central Coast community. Historically, frontline communities have not had their voices included in developing solutions to the extent they deserve. CEC’s community ambassadors are helping us actively address language and climate justice across all of our programs.

Frontline communities already hold the collective power and capacity to create transformative solutions to the climate crisis that will reduce inequities, uproot injustices, and are truly sustainable from a social, economic, and environmental perspective. Community ambassadors play a critical role in CEC’s efforts to better support our diverse frontline communities. They also seek to build cec’s familiarity, trust, and relationships with our frontline communities, so we can build and deepen our collaboration.

Our Community Ambassador initiative seeks to invite in more voices of frontline community members, breaking down barriers to their participation in the climate conversation. This expands CEC’s capacity to meaningfully involve frontline communities in our programs, advocacy, and movement building for rapid and equitable climate action. 

CEC’s Community Ambassadors go out into the field to work with local frontline communities members and groups, mainly in one-on-one and small group outreach to Spanish-speaking community members. They help build community and climate resilience by building deep relationships, conducting outreach, sharing resources and critical information, and organizing community action. Examples include:

• Leading outreach and engagement efforts with a goal of ensuring that the voices of more vulnerable and underrepresented communities throughout the county were included in developing Connected 2050, a Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) project to develop a community vision for transportation and housing that balances social, economic, and environmental goals.

• Piloting the Community Ambassador Resilience and Equity Response (CARER) project to foster community resilience and support climate justice efforts by responding to immediate needs of frontline communities during the pandemic.

• Promoting CEC’s Affordable Electric Vehicle Clinic and other programs that offer affordable access to climate-based solutions.

• Expanding CEC’s Spanish-language offerings and information.