On behalf of the entire Human Impacts Institute Crew, I would like to wish you a Happy 2024! We wish you a year of creativity, determination, and collaboration. This year our work will center around the theme of “Solutions from the Frontlines”.
For our HII Crew, this theme means centering the solutions and demands from communities most impacted by climate change. And how we are committing to do this is both through our programs and through changes in our organizational structures and leadership. In our programs, we continue to collect stories from frontline youth and their allies through our Artivism and Amplifiers story library; We are also welcoming 40 youth fellows from around the world for a four-month fellowship on creative climate communications and multicultural collaborations; and We will be showcasing their work and stories from our library during this year’s Creative Climate Awards. Lastly, we are also investing in translation of our programs and will be able to offer our international fellowship program in English, French, and Spanish!
In addition to these programmatic initiatives, we are very proud to announce that we are launching a Community Board component to our Board of Directors, which will invite and better enable partners from frontline communities to be at the head of organizational decision making at the Human Impacts Institute. We will also be expanding and recruiting for both our Advisory Council and Youth Advisory Council in order to ensure that our organizational leadership represents the diversity, depth, and strength of the communities with which we work.
I am proud to renew our commitment to centering and amplifying the solutions AND leadership we need to transform our world from extraction to regeneration and from division and destruction to collaboration and growth. Our goals are not small and our road is not smooth, but we can guarantee that what we create will be BIG, BOLD, and BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you and I look forward to including you in the action in 2024.
In solidarity,
Tara DePorte
Founder and Executive Director
Human Impacts Institute
Become a Creative Climate Awards Artist!
DEADLINE: All applicants should apply here by March 10th
We are proud to announce our open call for artists for our 2024 Creative Climate Awards (CCA)! This year’s CCA will be from April 22nd to May 20th in NYC, with the theme “Solutions from the frontlines”. We accept submissions of performances, 2D, 3D, film, and installation works, which will be shown through our month-long exhibition in NYC. Local and international artists are challenged to answer: How does your work amplify solutions from communities most impacted by climate change?
Our 2024 Creative Climate Awards will reach tens-of-thousands through our opening ceremony, gallery tours, virtual and in-person artist chats, salon-style conversations organized by our international youth fellows, and much more. We are also proud to announce our continued partnership with the Queens Botanical Garden to host performances and installations, as well as with the DUMBO Business Improvement District and NYC Department of Transportation Art Program to project the full exhibit and climate demands onto the Manhattan Bridge!
Learn About Climate Action and Impact!
Our Creative Communications Fellow, Rosalie Le Grelle, has spent the past months working on a special research project for HII as part of our Urban Environmental Health Lab. This project aims to understand how arts and culture impact climate change communications and actions, specifically for environmental justice groups. Rosalie delved into the literature, exploring questions like “What triggers environmental justice action?” and the more complex, “How do we measure this impact?”
Preliminary findings suggest that environmental justice action is prompted by emotional engagement, personal relevance to climate change, and the belief that individuals can drive change. Collective action enhances this effect, with arts and culture playing a crucial role in evoking emotions and fostering a sense of community. However, the challenge remains: how does one measure this impact? The literature suggests that while it’s not as straightforward as measuring physical dimensions, it becomes feasible when approached contextually and over an extended period.
Rosalie’s next steps involve engaging with environmental justice groups on the ground to determine if they align with the literature’s insights and to identify any disparities between theoretical understanding and on-the-ground realities. She will also be working with other HII Crew members to develop a toolkit for climate communications, as well as guides for better understanding impact in the arts-climate space. Rosalie will also be helping us launch our Creative Climate Communications Lab (C3 Lab) in Brooklyn, New York, this year. Stay tuned for more great insights from Rosalie!
Welcome New HII Crew Members!
HII is growing every month, with new employees, interns, fellows, volunteers! This month, we are happy to welcome three wonderful new interns:
Alana Mayott, Creative Communications Intern
Burcu Yavuz, Environmental Education Intern
Faith Wahu Muiruri, NGO Management Intern
Here’s more about them and why they chose to join our Crew:
Alana Mayott will support the communications team and will support the organization of the Creative Climate Awards 2024. Alana is currently a senior at the University of South Florida majoring in Environmental Science and Policy, while also double minoring in biology and urban studies.
“I was compelled to join HII because it provides a unique platform
for me to actively engage in addressing environmental and social challenges while also aligning with my passion for sustainability.”
Burcu Yavuz will help Rosalie in her mission to better understand the impacts of creative communication campaigns and will support the UEHL program. Burcu is a graduate of the University of Siena, International Studies who would like to become a researcher. She has a background in International Relations with a focus on Economics.
“It is more evident nowadays that we need to believe in
and consider the power of education to face global challenges.
We should inspire our societies and increase awareness
as much as possible for a more sustainable and equal future.”
Faith Wahu Muiruri will work on grants, fundraising, memberships and sponsorship programs. Faith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Community Development from Daystar University Kenya. She is also a master’s student pursuing Monitoring and Evaluation at Daystar University Kenya.
“I am passionate about working on projects aimed at addressing some of the challenges faced by communities globally like poverty, hunger, disease, climate change, and illiteracy. I am interested in participating in HII projects that bring local and global change.”
Want to join the HII Crew? Check out our opportunities here.
If you’re interested in joining our Advisory Council or Board of Directors, send us an email at info@humanimpactsinstitute.org
Our Creative Business Challenge!
This year, we are happy to be working with HU University of Applied Sciences of Utrecht as part of the Creative Business Challenge. Over the next five months, five students will be looking at ways to diversify and streamline our fundraising. We will be sharing with them our experience of project management, creative communication campaigns and management in an international NGO!
Let the challenge begin!
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BECOME A HII MEMBER!
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For less than the price of one coffee per month, your membership supports our mission and helps us use the arts and culture to engage more people in making a more just and liveable world.
More membership benefits in 2024, including: Conversations with HII Crew and partners in 2024, including special meet and greets with environmental justice leaders in NYC, virtual studio visits with CCA artists, and more!
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