Climate Leadership Training In The Wake Of Hurricane Katrina
Longlasting climate leadership is dependent on fostering new energy, a point our partners at Greenfaith are taking seriously. They understand the impactful role leaders play in forging new climate solutions and work tirelessly to develop new burgeoning talent. They also realize that great leadership is only successful with solid training.
Greenfaith will host North American Convergence 2016 from January 20-24th in New Orleans, Louisiana, inviting people of all ages and faith traditions to come together as one unified voice for Climate Justice. Held in the heart of Hurricane Katrina's devastating path, Greenfaith aims to highlight the disproportionate impact climate change is having on people of color and the poorest communities across America.
Congruently, Greenfaith will host Convergencia de Río de Janeiro: Inscripciones in Brazil with a similar approach, June 4-8.
Check the full lineup and details at Greenfaith today!
North American Convergence 2016: New Orleans, Louisiana
What’s a Convergence?
It’s leadership training, and more. It’s a coming together of many voices and many perspectives into a powerful and effective network. It’s a gathering of emerging leaders who want to put their beliefs into action for the environment in meaningful ways.
Why New Orleans?
In 2005, the world watched as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans and Louisiana with deadly force. Only a month later, Hurricane Rita decimated many of Louisiana’s coastal communities. The images that surfaced in these storms’ aftermath introduced the realities of environmental racism and climate injustice to a larger audience than ever, as people saw clearly that those who suffered the worst of the storms’ impacts were persons of color, and the poor.
New Orleans and its surroundings will serve as our classroom during the Convergence, and its faith and community leaders will be our instructors and guides.
Held at beautiful and historic Tulane University, the North American Convergence will bring together leaders, ages 21 to 35, from diverse religious and spiritual traditions. Participants will learn about climate justice, visiting communities in New Orleans and the Bayou that were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and are continually threatened by rising sea levels. Participants will hear stories of these communities’ resilience and responses, and receive training that will help develop the skills to become better religious-environmental leaders. Additional training will be offered digitally before and after the Convergence to help participants refine their voice and their skills.
The New Orleans’ Convergence is one in a series of Convergences which GreenFaith is holding for religious-environmental leaders from the Millennial generation. It follows last June’s Convergence in Rome, where 110 people from 30 countries gathered, and will follow a similar training in Rio de Janeiro in early June, 2016, for leaders from Latin America.