Regional AI Upskilling Roundtable: Climate, Energy & Civic Engagement
The Upskilling Labs - a rapidly growing (nonprofit) AI learning community dedicated to "help professionals upskill in emerging technologies through hands-on, peer-powered, project-based learning delivered in a replicable model that civic communities across the country can adopt". We are an independently organized community that emerged from a pilot conducted last fall by DC Public Library and Levy.
We organize workshops open to the public (design thinking, prompt engineering, vibe coding, + some soft skills content), but the centerpieces of our work are thematic 3 month build cycles, where participants (Upskillers), explore problems, research, build solutions, and regularly present their work. They leverage AI every step of the way.
We're convening a small group of leaders representing the climate, energy, civic, and tech sectors to help ensure our programming meets the evolving needs of workforce demand within the DC-Maryland-Virginia region.
As The Upskilling Labs designs programming for our growing community, we're seeking guidance from those at the forefront of these industries. This advisory session will focus on three key areas:
Who to engage: Identifying the right industry partners, subject matter experts, and practitioners who can contribute to programming development and provide real-world learning context
What expertise matters: Understanding the context and knowledge areas that Upskillers need to consider in the climate/energy and civic/election sectors; first, to inspire problem statements that will drive their research and experimentation, and second, to ground the design and development of the AI-fueled portfolio pieces they build
When to deliver: As we think about how best to schedule our thematic 3 month build cycles, timing the cycles with relevant industry calendars, so as to optimize Upskillers' opportunities for visibility and networking
Your insights will directly inform our programming strategy, ensuring we're preparing Upskillers for meaningful opportunities in sectors vital to our region's future.
EVENT DETAILS:
Refreshments will be provided. We look forward to a collaborative discussion that bridges workforce upskilling with regional economic priorities.
February 26, 2026 @ the Institute for Development Impact (1834 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC)
6:00pm - 8:00pm