Kenzie Ballard_personal statement — File 26-1089

Please select the top three areas in which you have working knowledge, strong interest, and/or experience: Social Resiliency Workforce Development Somerville Community-Based Organizations or Advocacy Groups Statement of Interest: I have been working at the intersection of climate action and youth development for 3 years now through Groundwork Somerville. Through this role, I have led urban forestry projects, including tree planting and maintenance, farmed at South Street Farm, distributed free local nutritious produce to Somerville's residents, organized dozens of environmental events, and built the capacity of young people to advocate for climate-resilient land use change that they and their communities would like to see in their neighborhoods. I am eager to explore how Groundwork Somerville, our Green Team youth, and Groundwork Somerville's extensive network of residents and partner organizations could be even more connected to city climate processes by joining the Climate Action Commission. Some of the ways I can support the work of the Climate Action Commission are to share updates and engagement opportunities through GWS's social media, newsletters, and community groups; intentionally invite youth into CAC conversations and support their engagement; bring in hyper-local street-level heat, air quality, and noise data collected, visualized, and interpreted by the Green Team to inform decisions and shape policies and programs, encourage the engagement of partner organizations into this work, and support the City's Climate Forward Plan and the work of the CAC through GWS's active climate resilency projects, including our tree planting efforts and our Resilient Community Centers Initiative.