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Fostering a Global Community of �Ӱ���̳ Ambassadors

By Kyle Gaw, �Ӱ���̳ Digital Marketing Manager

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I recently spoke to a friend about how an  had broken free from Antarctica. We started to lament the seemingly inevitable, and extremely complex, consequences of climate change. At one point my friend turned to me and said, “I’m not a scientist. So honestly, what can I even do at this point?”

For me, my friend’s statement encapsulated the importance of �Ӱ���̳’s mission to propagate the benefits of citizen science. It is not just scientists’ responsibility to study and protect the planet; the duty belongs to everyone. The world needs advocates for scientific research more than ever before.

We launched the �Ӱ���̳ Ambassador Program a little over a year ago with the goal of fostering a community of �Ӱ���̳ advocates. We wanted to offer a vessel for like-minded, concerned citizens to unite over a common cause: the desire to improve our planet. We’ve seen tremendous growth in the short time that the program has been running. The program is growing consistently thanks to the work of our dedicated ambassadors.

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Our global network is comprised of people from every nook and cranny of the planet—from the U.S. to Australia to Mexico to Kenya, and beyond.

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The reach of the program has been inspiring for us to witness. In fact, we’re proud to say that we have �Ӱ���̳ Ambassadors on every continent aside from Antarctica. (Although, we are tossing around the idea of making one lucky penguin an honorary member just to check off every continent.)

These concerned individuals come to �Ӱ���̳ with different perspectives of the environmental issues occurring in their respective parts of the globe. For many, the motivation to join �Ӱ���̳’s Ambassador Program stems from a desire to be a part of positive change or, as one member from Trinidad and Tobago put it when asked what their motivation was for joining the program: “I guess it’s being part of a greater cause and being able to make a positive impact somewhere around the world.“

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Many of our Ambassador Program members come to us with the hope of creating positive change on a global scale. For some, the desire to make a positive impact stems from the immediate issues that they see threatening their own environment. As one Australian Ambassador said, “The effects of climate change are being felt in Australia through more extreme weather patterns. Big industries and urban development continue to put significant pressures on the environment and its flora and fauna systems, and in many cases they are abetted by government. These issues are echoed around the world…“

The professional backgrounds of our Ambassador Program members have shed light on just how diverse participants are. One Ambassador from England highlighted this nicely: “I work in sales and marketing and do not have a science background. Participating in �Ӱ���̳ projects makes me feel that I am helping, albeit in a small way, towards the conservation of our planet. By being an �Ӱ���̳ Ambassador, I want to be able to reassure others like me that it is possible to be a citizen scientist and to make a difference to the world.“

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We’re always thrilled to see former volunteers recruiting their friends and family members to join them in the field. One thing that we want to see all past team members do is to leverage their own experiences in the field to enrich their lives and the lives of others around them. We love hearing about the creative ways that volunteers have used their experiences in the field to their advantage in their day-to-day lives.

One teacher from the United States is taking their experience in the field and using it to encourage the next generation to become advocates for quality scientific research. “I’m hoping the Ambassador Program will give me a platform to draw more of my own students into the program. While our district does a great job of sending several teachers on �Ӱ���̳ expeditions every year, I feel �Ӱ���̳’s impact would be magnified through the experience of students. This is particularly true of students like my own juniors and seniors in physics, who are mostly college-bound but have not made up their mind about a field of study. At their impressionable age, a meaningful experience with environmental science research could give them the impetus to realign their future study plans.“

It’s encouraging to learn how people from every part of the globe are using their experiences with �Ӱ���̳ to make the world a better place. No matter the personal motivations that drive people to join the Ambassador community, it’s clear that Ambassador Program members can rally around the shared vision for a better planet. We’re thrilled to see this program thriving and look forward to the watch it continue to evolve.

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If you’re ready to join the Ambassador community or would like some more information, visit �Ӱ���̳’s Ambassador Program page.

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