How can informal science learning centers advance climate resilience partnerships? Lessons from two coastal communities

ABSTRACTInformal science learning centers (ISLCs) like zoos, aquariums and botanic gardens are trusted community assets and perceived as critical sites for learning outside the classroom for multigenerational learners. Moreover, their role in engaging the public in critical topics, such as climate change is widely recognized. As extreme weather events grow more frequent, building climate resilient social and ecological systems will be necessary. However, how ISLCs facilitate climate resilience is understudied. This paper presents findings from two qualitative case studies of climate resilience projects, through partnerships between community organizations and ISLCs. The results demonstrated the need to prioritize relationship building so that organizations with distinct approaches authentically appreciate each other's work and foster power symmetries. Diverse definitions of 'resilience' emerged, where ecological and social resilience held unique meaning for residents most vulnerable to climate events. Ultimately, the research highlighted how ISLCs and community partners can advance equitable and inclusive climate resilience.KEYWORDS: Informal educationSTEM/STEAMequityclimate resilience AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank Rebecca Norlander and Darcey Glasser for their support on the interview analysis; staff at the two aquariums and community partner organizations for their contributions to inform, implement, and participate in the research activities; and the thoughtful feedback from two anonymous reviewers to strengthen our manuscript.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 The strategies drew from the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation project to build ISLC educators' capacity to communicate about climate change. (https://climateinterpreter.org/partner/nnocci-national-network-ocean-and-climate-change-interpretation).2 This paper retains the original language of Arnstein's framework, while acknowledging that in current US discourse, the term 'citizen' may be misleading and that there is interest in using less divisive terms. For example, 'citizen science' is evolving into 'community science'.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by National Science Foundation [grant number NSF grant #DRL-1713428].