Who is this toolkit for?

This toolkit is for anyone who wants to build a statewide climate corps initiative, has a role in building a climate corps, or is simply interested in learning more about creating such an initiative. While this toolkit was initially developed for state service commissions, during the development of this toolkit we have met a number of others outside of commissions who are interested in statewide climate corps initiatives and may want to use this toolkit to mobilize or guide efforts in their states. Audiences for this toolkit may include:

State Service Commissions — Commissions are a primary audience of this toolkit, as they are positioned to lead and guide service as a strategy for addressing state needs. Commissions have administrative and grant-making roles, and are connected (directly or indirectly) to state governments. This toolkit could support a range of commission members, from executive directors who have a state mandate to create a climate corps or want to make the case to adopt such a mandate, to more junior staff who are passionate about building a climate corps initiative in their state.
State Agencies — Many state agencies who have a principal climate change responsibility are looking for ways to add “people power” to their programs and efforts. Many commissions also partner with state agencies to build and deploy their climate corps. These state agencies can use this toolkit to familiarize themselves with the opportunities and challenges and use the guidance and lessons learned to help lead a developmental process.
Individual Service Programs — We know of some programs that are well connected to larger state efforts and are also interested in mobilizing and organizing the service field in their states. They could use the toolkit as a resource to collaborate with their peers to secure support for a collective effort.
Advocates and Legislators — Finally, we might see some interest in this toolkit by advocates and legislators who want to see climate corps added to their policy endeavors. For them, understanding the pathways to developing a climate corps and the scope of possible design choices may help shape their advocacy and constituency building efforts.

Those most likely to lead on building a climate corps effort within any of these groups will be those with some capacity and authority to guide and sustain the process. However, it also requires dedicated staffing who can spend the time to organize content, relationships, and activities successfully. We touch on this topic more in the section on Finding capacity.

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