Youth Engagement
Engaging our island’s youth population is crucial as we develop the Climate Adaptation Plan. Their unique perspective and experiences around the island are important as we figure out how to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts. As part of our outreach efforts, our team will be doing a series of talk stories with educators, conduct pop up activities with various schools and youth groups, post various climate challenges, and host a Youth Climate Summit.
Climate Adaptation on Kauaʻi Art Contest
Deadline extended!
As climate changes, the places that we love and the activities that we enjoy will be impacted. While this may seem scary, this also presents the opportunity to re-imagine these spaces and how we interact in them. How do you envision we adapt to climate change? Submit a drawing, painting, or poem that showcases your vision of an adapted future!
Submission rules
- Open to those 25 years of age and under.
- Submit your artwork along with your name, age, and a short description of your artwork by September 30, 2023.
- You can submit your artwork by messaging or scanning your artwork to @plankauai on instagram or email it to asummers@kauai.gov.
- The project team will select 3 prize winners!
- In addition to getting a prize, winning entries will be announced on the Climate Adaptation and Action Plan website, and will be featured in the final publication of the Climate Adaptation and Action Plan.
- Prizes are tba.
Youth Climate Summit
Mahalo nui for those who attended the Kauaʻi Youth Climate Summit! We hope you enjoyed hearing from our youth leaders, learning about climate hazards that will affect our island, and sharing your thoughts on how we can adapt as a community. Your feedback will help the County as we develop the Climate Adaptation Plan for Kauaʻi.
A big shout out to Nalani Brun for the beautiful pule, Project Kuleana for producing the Nani Kauaʻi video, our inspirational youth panelists, and to all our volunteers who helped us run the event smoothly. Check out the video from Hawai’i Youth Climate Coalition stressing the importance of youth engagement in this process.
Climate Pop-Up Activity
We’re reaching out to various middle and high schools, including Kaua`i Community College, and youth groups to conduct a climate pop-up activity. We’ve prepared two different activities that are approximately an hour long and could be conducted indoors or outdoors.
If you’re an interested teacher, youth leader, or student, feel free to reach out to Ana Española at aespanola@kauai.gov to schedule a visit.
Activity 1: Climate Change in Photos: (30-60 minutes) Students analyze and discuss photos to learn about the impact of climate change as well as understand what is adaptation and mitigation. Students will be shown before and after images of different locations on island and in the state.
* Recommended for classes with shorter time frame.
Activity 2: Domino Effect: Web of Interdependence: (60-75 minutes) Students will explore how climate change disrupts the relationships between all land and sea organisms, resulting in a ʻdomino effect’ of consequences, through an interactive game using string and resource cards.
Kilo Climate Challenge
Kilo (observation) is a valuable skill. Our kupuna (ancestors) used kilo to predict weather, navigate, fish, and farm. For this challenge, observe a space you frequent or that is special to you and share what changes you observe in your environment or the threats this place faces due to climate hazards (ex: rising sea levels, flooding, drought, and erosion).
Submit your story and knowledge of places to our Story Bank! Anyone can participate and there is no deadline.
- Choose a location, it can be your favorite spot, a place your family normally visits, or an area you always pass by.
- Record your observations: Take pictures of the same spot and write down any observations. What do you notice?
- Share your observations. Where there any changes? Are these changes related to our changing climate?
- Submit your entry to the Story Bank Google Form in the “History” tab of this website.
- What are three words or emotions that come to mind when you think about a spot that’s special to you? What changes have you observed due to our changing climate?
- What’s special about your hometown and neighborhood?
- What are some vulnerabilities or weaknesses you notice in your community?
- What are the strengths of your community?
- What unique attributes does our Kauaʻi community have that makes us resilient to climate hazards? (ex: erosion/landslides, sea level rise, flooding, wildfires)