Climate Scholars Community Service Fellowship

Volunteer Service Hours

Participating students will commit to put in 360 volunteer hours of hands-on work in the public service climate action field (about 12-15 hours a week) during the 2026-2027 academic year (September 28, 2027 - June 6, 2027) and will also receive 90 hours of training in advanced skills related to civic engagement and public service. This will total 450 hours of service and training total.  

Climate Scholars Cohort

The fellows will be a part of a cohort of other students with a passion and commitment for community service. Fellows will meet with this cohort weekly throughout the year. Since this particular cohort is focused on students who are already volunteering regularly in this field, the training will be more in depth and address more complicated and interesting issues than in the regular College Corps Climate Action Program. Students may receive academic credit for their internships (up to 4 units per quarter). Students will also have access to extensive networking opportunities with the local environmental community.  

Career and Professional Development

This program is an offshoot of the UCSB College Corps Program, but comes with a different set of benefits and is structured differently.  Participating students in this program will attend broader cohort meetings for UCSB College Corps and will be invited to regional and statewide gatherings of College Corps.  They will also receive additional training specific to the Climate Scholars program which will go above and beyond the training offered to the broader cohort members. 

Education Award

Fellows will also receive an education award of $3,000 at the end of the service year when they complete all 450 hours.  For locations not accessible by bus, transportation reimbursements may be available during the year. This fellowship does not come with a stipend and is not a paid job. This is primarily a volunteer position. We are dedicated to the professional development of the fellows in this program and have set aside funding to support training and conferences linked to the work the students are doing as a part of this fellowship. 

Coastal Ranches Conservancy is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization with the mission of supporting conservation, restoration, and education along the 76 miles of the Gaviota Coast, by working with landowners, public agencies, and other non-profits. Climate Scholars will support the following programming:

Education: Help prepare and coordinate logistics with school groups and support staff on the day in delivering Explore the Coast, Tidepool School, and/or Trout in the Classroom outings. CRC will be developing a nature based curriculum.

Restoration: Participate in Technical Advisory Group and design charette meetings for restoration project designs, write grants for restoration projects, coordinate and support project management and permitting as directed, coordinate Gaviota Coast Biodiversity Collaborative meetings and actions. Water Quality testing (funding dependent).

Protection: Accompany Executive Director to meetings with City, County, Natural Resource agency partners, and NGO partners to support steelhead recovery, watershed protection, habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors, and visoning long-term protection model for the Gaviota Coast and broader Santa Barbara region.

Engagement: Tabling at outreach events and conferences. Support development of outreach materials. Onboarding of new Customer Relationship Management Program and coordinate donor development opportunities. Support logistics for a intimate fall/spring donor gathering. 
 

The fellow will support community outreach, environmental stewardship, and volunteer engagement initiatives focused on coastal conservation. Working alongside program staff, fellows will assist with planning and organizing beach cleanups, volunteer events, and community outreach activities. They will help coordinate volunteers and waivers, collect and manage data pertaining to participation and environmental outcomes, and support event logistics. Fellows will also represent the organization at outreach events by tabling, sharing information about programs and volunteer opportunities, and engaging with community members. In addition, fellows will create communications materials such as flyers, social media content, graphics, and other outreach resources that help promote environmental awareness and community involvement.

#1 MOVE Community Engagement & Partnerships Fellow
MOVE Santa Barbara County promotes walking, biking, and sustainable transportation across the county through education, community programs, and strategic partnerships. The fellow will serve as a public-facing community engagement assistant, representing MOVE at events, community fairs, and partner meetings throughout Santa Barbara County. Responsibilities include tabling and outreach at public events, distributing program information, building relationships with community organizations and local partners, supporting event logistics and coordination, and assisting with communications materials for outreach. The fellow will also help maintain MOVE's community contact database to support ongoing engagement. This role is active and community-based, not desk-bound. Spanish language skills are preferred but not required.

#2 MOVE Community Bike Shop Fellow
MOVE Santa Barbara County operates Bici Centro, a community bike shop providing affordable repair, refurbished bikes, and hands-on mechanical education. The fellow will serve as a front-of-house community ambassador at our Santa Barbara and SBCC campus locations, greeting visitors, helping customers check in for services, and creating a welcoming environment for community members and volunteers. The fellow will also support shop operations including bike intake, organizing donated equipment, managing DIY fixit stations, and assisting mechanics and volunteers on the floor. Additional responsibilities include staffing bike valet at community events (setup, guest interaction, and breakdown) and helping capture visitor contact information for our community database. Spanish language skills and basic bicycle mechanical ability are preferred.

Fulfilling our mission to foster a lifelong connection with nature, with access for all, NatureTrack runs free field trips for K-12th grade as well as FreedomTrax, which provides wheelchair accessory that allows everyone access to beach and trails, and our NatureTrack film festival, screening great nature documentaries from around the world. Fellows will assist on field trips (brief hiking adventures in beautiful locations throughout SB County, and other events, plus receive ongoing training and mentoring to develop their own skills and interests within the scope of our program. Field trips will be during morning hours (generally 8:30-1:30 with travel). Trax trips on local beaches in morning or afternoon, some weekends.  Film screenings throughout year, and other hours by arrangement with our Internship Mentor.  Check out the film at bottom of our home page (naturetrack.org).

Fellows will support Planet Protectors' community-based plastic film recycling and environmental education programs throughout Santa Barbara. They will participate in plastic sorting and collection events, working alongside volunteers and community members to divert recyclable plastic film from landfills and waterways. Through these activities, Fellows will gain hands-on experience in waste reduction, recycling operations, volunteer coordination, and sustainability.

Fellows will also assist with community outreach and partnership development efforts by engaging with local businesses, schools, nonprofits, and community groups. They will help educate community members about plastic pollution, sustainable waste management practices, and Planet Protectors' recycling programs. This will help Planet Protectors build relationships that expand participation and support for the organization. In addition, Fellows may be asked torepresent Planet Protectors at community events and tabling opportunities.

Fellows will help with basic animal husbandry (cleaning, diet prep, etc) for non-releasable education raptors. They will engage with visitors while the birds are in their main aviary, as well as assist with the birds being brought out on the glove to meet the public. They will help deliver educational talks/presentations about our birds, and other local species for audiences of all ages. They will engage people in interactive learning with an educational tabling set-up, as well as occasionally go offsite to assist with educational presentations to audiences of K-12 schools, at retirement centers, community events, and school science nights. 

Volunteer Museum educators can choose between two types of volunteer shift – school programs or hall ambassador. School program volunteers serve K-5th grade guided field trip programs aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), but focus on connecting students with nature and igniting curiosity about the natural world. We have several guided program options they can support on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings: guided tours through the museum halls, leading and/or supporting hands-on labs, supporting our outdoor nature exploration programs, or helping lead and/or support Astronomy programming in our Planetarium. There is an additional shift on Mondays that supports 5th-12th grade students with alternating programs of Environmental Conservation and Astronomy. Training for these programs will be provided on Tuesday mornings throughout the school year to help learn and develop skills for interpretation and offers extended learning opportunities from experts at the Museum and beyond. Find our menu of school programs here: https://www.sbnature.org/education/schools-teachers/field-trips-at-the-museum

Volunteers can also choose to be a hall ambassador at the Museum if weekday mornings do not work with their schedule. They will walk through the halls and offer information to visitors, can be stationed at specific exhibits, or at dedicated carts with hands-on materials to bring our exhibits to life. Check out all of the exhibit halls we have here (note that some exhibits are seasonal): https://www.sbnature.org/visit/exhibitions/
 

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Sea Center is an interactive regional aquarium and science center dedicated to inspiring curiosity about the marine life of the Santa Barbara Channel. As a Fellow, you will be trained as an Exhibit Interpreter, developing the skills to engage guests and foster meaningful connections with local marine species. During each shift, interpreters are typically stationed at one of three interactive exhibit areas. At Shark Cove, you will help dispel common misconceptions about sharks while highlighting their role in healthy ocean ecosystems. At the Intertidal Wonders exhibit, you will teach visitors about responsible tidepool etiquette and the importance of protecting sensitive habitats. On the Wet Deck, you will use scientific sampling equipment to collect and examine organisms from the ocean floor, giving guests a firsthand look at the diverse marine life living beneath Stearns Wharf. 
 

Sweet Wheel Farm is an herbicide and pesticide free 7-acre farm created to answer to a food desert in the Summerland community. The farm is run through the non-profit Santa Barbara Agriculture and Farm Education Foundation, a dedicated group of citizens on a mission to educate and empower the next generation of farmers while ensuring food security for food fragile communities. The farm provides educational resources for sustainable agriculture, educates the public on how to propagate and pollinate food and solve food security in south Santa Barbara County. The Farm donates food to those in need, supporting individuals and other charitable organizations with natural and organically farmed products. The Summerland Sweet Wheel Farm is a place to preserve, protect, and enhance life and spirit through organic farming and green space. Fellows can learn about regenerative agriculture through hands-on experience in small-scale sustainable agriculture. Fellows will participate in all aspects of sustainable agriculture methods used by the farm. During this unique experience, fellows will learn valuable farming skills. Participation in this internship will allow interns to contribute to improving food security in Santa Barbara County. The fellows will participate in all aspects of farm production, including bed preparation, planting, bed maintenance, watering, pruning, harvesting, washing, and preparing food bags for donation. They will also develop and implement an internship special project (i.e. seed library, pollinator habitats, host educational workshops, etc.) and will promote the farm through social media.

2026-2027 Timeline