2023 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program- Build Capacity for Implementing Climate Literacy in Classrooms

Through this funding announcement, the CA B-WET Program is soliciting proposals that Build Capacity for Implementing Climate Literacy in Classrooms.

California B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs involve learning both outdoors and in the classroom as students engage in issue definition, outdoor field experiences, synthesis and conclusions, and environmental action projects. The goal is to increase understanding and stewardship of the ocean, its local watersheds, and special areas like national marine sanctuaries.

Funding is available to the following counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Monterey, San Benito, Merced, Madera, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

The CA B-WET Program recognizes that equal and equitable access to meaningful watershed educational experiences will benefit all communities. We have a shared responsibility to provide opportunities for all youth to connect and engage with the environment; whether at a nearby park, creek, or on the shores of an ocean or lake. However, many K-12 students do not have consistent access to adequately funded, high-quality environmental experiences. And historically, youth in marginalized communities have not seen their identities reflected in nature and the environment as a whole.

Therefore, the CA B-WET Program will ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of every action and every decision. We will prioritize opportunities for youth in marginalized communities to engage in the environment that surrounds them in meaningful ways. We know that to be effective stewards of our blue planet, we must ensure our programs reflect the communities in which we live, work and play. Creating a culture that is welcoming and inclusive of all, will connect students of all backgrounds to their environment and create environmentally literate decision makers.

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