Climate Action Families is thrilled to welcome Itza A. Carbajal as the lead facilitator and curriculum designer for our upcoming Sense of Belonging workshop series!

Our youth have told us again and again that they want to learn directly from experts, and this workshop is designed to meet that request in a meaningful way. Itza is not only a PhD candidate and Teaching Professor at the University of Washington Information School, but was also a digital archivist, community organizer, and cultural arts programmer in previous careers. Her research centers on understanding how young people’s memories, records, and stories shape who they are, and how these same tools can be used to heal, grow, and build resilience in times of crisis.

With a background spanning modern history, creative writing, archival studies, and digital records management, Itza has worked at leading institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin at the Benson Latin American Collection, OCLC, and now the University of Washington. She has served in leadership roles in a number of Cultural Arts and Archival organizations, co-convened national conversations on ethics in digital records, built global networks for archival PhDs, coordinated several Global Climate Strike teach-ins, and hosted numerous events locally and worldwide. All these efforts work to prevent the erasure of the stories of marginalized and neglected communities.

But beyond her impressive academic and professional credentials, what makes Itza extraordinary is her ability to connect memory, identity, and belonging in ways that matter for young people today. Her research looks at how archives and records can help children and youth process trauma, make sense of their past, and imagine better futures. She brings compassion, creativity, and a deep respect for youth voices into every space she enters.

The Sense of Belonging workshop will be different from many of our other programs: while still designed for youth, it goes deeper, weaving together lived experiences, research insights, and interactive movement and outdoor based activities that highlight how belonging is created and sustained. With Itza’s guidance, participants will explore what it means to belong in the face of climate change, migration, and shifting identities- while building the skills to carry that sense of belonging into their own communities.

We are so excited to introduce Itza to the CAF family, and even more excited for the learning and transformation she will help spark in this workshop.

RSVP for CAF and Itza’s Sense of Belonging Workshop HERE!

And to learn more about Itza and her amazing work, visit her website.