Climate Resilience Education & Action for Dedicated Youth (Climate READY)

This presentation will focus on one innovative new program Climate READY (Climate Resilience Education & Action for Dedicated Youth). Made possible by a generous grant from the Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the program prepares high school students in six vulnerable South Florida communities to become Climate Ready Ambassadors, leading efforts to educate younger students, teachers, local residents, and decision makers about how their communities can increase resilience and work toward equitable climate solutions. The program centers on three major components: Climate Ready Ambassador Institute (Summer) An intensive, week-long experience in which students develop climate knowledge, explore the changing planet with NOAA Science on a Sphere technology, engage with climate scientists and resilience professionals, and hone climate communication skills to share local climate solutions as resilience leaders within their own communities. Afterschool Mentorship (Fall) Climate Ready Ambassador teams work with local 4th-8th grade afterschool students to build community resilience awareness through creative stories. Community Outreach (Spring) Climate Ready Ambassador teams work with community partners to share local resilience strategies at outreach events and promote civic engagement in climate solutions. In this interactive session, we will discuss youths perspectives on their relationship to their communities and how it affects their motivation to take action to build community resilience from climate change impacts. Exploring how youth think about and connect with their communities and how participation in the Climate READY Program shapes their willingness to act can inform future practice in climate resilience programs. Presenters will share participant recruitment strategies, program components, and lessons learned along the way.