Host: City of Boulder
Region: Colorado
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation, Climate Mitigation, Ecosystem / Habitat Conservation, Public Health, Urban Planning, Water Management, Community Organizing
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Project Management, Community Outreach, Environmental Justice, Communication, Flexibility / Adaptability

Service Needs & Plans

The CivicSpark Fellow will serve with the City of Boulder to help meet the growing capacity needs of the Cool Boulder campaign, a city-based nature-based climate solutions campaign. The campaign seeks to facilitate connections between the city of Boulder staff and the community, and among community members. The fellow may also provide some community outreach and event assistance to two other city of Boulder Climate Initiative Teams: The Circular Economy Team and the Energy Team.

This project addresses both environmental and social equity needs. The campaign addresses climate change through nature-based solutions, and community outreach and coordination must be conducted equitably.

Project Description

1. The Cool Boulder campaign forms partnerships between the city, local organizations, and people to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss through nature-based climate solutions.

2. The CivicSpark Fellow(s) will play an important role in both helping coordinate Campaign communication and engagement systems (website, social media, communication materials) and be involved in program development and administration in the various Cool Boulder programs and initiatives. The project is centered around equitable and accountable outreach and communication.

3. The goal outcome is increased engagement with the city of Boulder including tracking and followup, with the end result of increased application of nature-based climate solutions in the city and surrounding areas in the front range.

4. Increased opportunity to strategically interact with the community and respond to their feedback and needs will help equitably implement nature-based climate solutions.

Desired Skills

The City of Boulder is seeking fellows who are excited to work in a fast-paced and constantly shifting environment. The field of nature-based climate solutions is emergent, and our work moves very quickly. We need team players who can adapt to an emerging understanding of the Boulder community and the ever-growing field of climate mitigation and adaptation.

The ideal candidate will be organized, adaptable, and excited to work with a dynamic community. Desired skills include strong communication skills, project management basics, event organizing experience, and a general background in ecology and biology (or at minimum, a willingness to learn). Spanish would be helpful in this role, but it is not necessary.

Organization & Community Highlights

The Climate Initiatives Department is a collaborative and innovative group that is always excited to welcome new members of the team and to teach and share information whenever possible. Networking and connecting interns and Fellows to future job opportunities is a priority. We also have a lot of fun! Our work is challenging, and we care deeply about taking care of each other while we work on new and innovative ways of thinking through the climate challenge.

The Department has a JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) team (of which, Daniel, our current Fellow is a member). Equity is one of the lenses through which all department work is analyzed, and Cool Boulder is developing its own equity principles by which actions can be held to account.

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid