ABSTRACT
The National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) is comprised of interpreters, educators, social scientists, climate scientists, and organizations working together in a thriving community of practice focused on creating social change through dialogue and public engagement in climate solutions. Since 2011, the community has grown training programs that employ emotionally aware facilitation, a cohort model of engagement, and skills-building related to the use of strategic framing for science communication. The model helped shape a community of more than 180 informal science education institutions (ISEIs) and developed partnerships with academia throughout the United States. At this writing, the community reports training more than 38,000 informal science educators who are now reaching more than 150 million visitors each year, their colleagues in their community, and their social networks. The NNOCCI model has shown that a motivated group of communicators – equipped with effective messaging techniques and a careful growth strategy – can build a tight-knit community of practice that shares their values and concerns. NNOCCI’s consistent messaging about climate change across the country is changing public discourse to be positive, productive, solutions-focused, and supportive of community climate action.
