A new $2.3 million program funded by the US National Science Foundation will educate and equip young scientists to cultivate resilience to climate impacts such as flooding and extreme heat.
Partners include the University of Washington Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment (EDGE) and the Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC). EDGE is part of the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS).
The program is led by The Center for Public Engagement with Science, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment.
“Climate change is an environmental injustice, and equitable approaches to adaptation require prioritization of the needs and voices of those most at risk," said Nicole Errett, assistant professor in DEOHS and director of EDGE’s Community Engagement Core. "Preparing youth, especially those from communities who will be hit the hardest, can help to ensure those voices are represented for years to come.”
From environmental mapping to climate action
The five-year program, called Youth Engaging in the Science of Resilience: Sensing the Environment and Envisioning Solutions, will be implemented in informal learning settings, such as museums and community centers.
Working with Latino and Indigenous youth, the program team will guide their exploration of local climate issues and facilitate dialogue about potential solutions as well as youth-led resilience projects. Researchers will collect data to understand how programming influences participants’ knowledge, skills and interest in community action.
In the program, participants will look at climate data and maps for their region to understand how climate is impacting their communities. They also will have the opportunity to collect data in their community using personal devices that track weather and air quality trends.
They will assess their community’s vulnerability to extreme weather and think about measures they can take to protect themselves and their families from climate impacts. Finally, the youth will have the chance to act in their communities by spearheading resilience-focused action projects.
“We are looking forward to empowering our youth to transform knowledge into climate action,” said Paulina López, executive director of DRCC. “Centering community leadership, especially from the next generation, is vital to overcoming the challenges that face us today.”
Building community capacity and facilitating STEM learning
The program will engage informal educators in Washington and North Carolina and at least 250 Latino and Indigenous youth, with the intention of supporting the youth in sharing what they learn with their families and communities through local action projects.
Over five years, the team will focus on three objectives: building the capacity of community organizations to implement resilience-focused programming, developing youth participants’ environmental health literacy, and examining how university and community partnerships facilitate informal STEM learning among diverse youth.
Additional partners include the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh and North Carolina State University’s Juntos 4-H Program.
Adapted from the full release here.
Programu mpya ya $ 2.3 milioni iliyofadhiliwa na Shirika la Sayansi la Kitaifa la Marekani itafundisha na kuandaa wanasayansi wachanga kukuza upinzani kwa athari za hali ya hewa kama vile mafuriko na joto kali. Shirika hilo linajumuisha Chuo Kikuu cha Washington Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment (EDGE) na Jumuiya ya Jumuiya ya Mto Duwamish (DRCC). Utafiti huo umefanywa na Chuo Kikuu cha UW na Chuo Kikuu cha Sayansi ya Afya ya Mazingira na Kazi (DEOHS). Programu hiyo inaongozwa na Kituo cha Ushirikiano wa Umma na Sayansi, sehemu ya Chuo Kikuu cha North Carolina katika Taasisi ya Chapel Hill ya Mazingira. "Mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ni ukosefu wa haki wa mazingira, na mbinu za usawa za kukabiliana na hali ya hewa zinahitaji kuweka kipaumbele mahitaji na sauti za wale walio hatarini zaidi, ""alisema Nicole Errett, profesa msaidizi katika DEOHS na mkurugenzi wa EDGE's Community Engagement Core." "Kujitayarisha vijana, hasa wale kutoka jamii ambazo zitapigwa vibaya zaidi, kunaweza kusaidia kuhakikisha sauti hizo zinawakilishwa kwa miaka ijayo. ""Kutoka ramani ya mazingira hadi hatua ya hali ya hewa"" Programu ya miaka mitano, inayoitwa ""Kujishughulisha na Sayansi ya Uvumilivu: Kuhisi Mazingira na Kuona Suluhisho,"" itatekelezwa katika mazingira ya kujifunza yasiyo rasmi, kama vile makumbusho na vituo vya jamii." Kwa kufanya kazi na vijana wa Latino na wenyeji, timu ya programu itawaongoza katika uchunguzi wao wa masuala ya hali ya hewa ya ndani na kuwezesha mazungumzo juu ya suluhisho zinazowezekana na miradi ya upinzani inayoongozwa na vijana. Watafiti watachanganya data ili kuelewa jinsi programu inaathiri maarifa ya washiriki, ujuzi na maslahi katika hatua ya jamii. Katika programu hiyo, washiriki watatazama data na ramani za hali ya hewa kwa mkoa wao kuelewa jinsi hali ya hewa inavyoathiri jamii zao. Pia, wataweza kukusanya data katika jamii yao kwa kutumia vifaa vya kibinafsi vinavyofuatilia hali ya hewa na mwenendo wa ubora wa hewa. Watachunguza hatari ya jamii zao kwa hali ya hewa kali na kufikiria hatua ambazo wanaweza kuchukua ili kujilinda na familia zao kutokana na athari za hali ya hewa. Mwishowe, vijana watakuwa na nafasi ya kutenda katika jamii zao kwa kuongoza miradi ya hatua inayolenga uthabiti. "Tunatarajia kuwawezesha vijana wetu kubadilisha maarifa kuwa hatua ya hali ya hewa,"" alisema Paulina López, mkurugenzi mtendaji wa DRCC." "Kujenga uwezo wa jamii na kuwezesha kujifunza STEM, mpango huo utahusisha walimu wasio rasmi huko Washington na North Carolina na angalau vijana 250 wa Kilatini na wenyeji, kwa nia ya kusaidia vijana kushiriki kile wanachojifunza na familia zao na jamii zao kupitia miradi ya hatua za mitaa. """ Katika miaka mitano, timu hiyo itazingatia malengo matatu: kujenga uwezo wa mashirika ya jamii kutekeleza programu za kukabiliana na hatari, kukuza ujuzi wa afya ya mazingira wa washiriki wa vijana, na kuchunguza jinsi ushirikiano wa chuo kikuu na jamii unavyowezesha kujifunza STEM isiyo rasmi kati ya vijana mbalimbali. Washirika wa ziada ni pamoja na North Carolina Makumbusho ya Sayansi ya Asili katika Raleigh na North Carolina State University's Juntos 4-H Programu. Ilikubaliwa kutoka kwa kutolewa kamili hapa.