I-Corps: Youth Advocacy for Resilience to Disasters

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响和商业潜力是赋予和扩大有色人种土著黑人青年在其社区内建立抗灾能力的声音。通过开发课程，该项目旨在为中学生提供解决与灾害有关的环境正义问题的知识、技能和工具。这种创新的方法促进了青年的公民参与、数据素养和批判性思维，使他们成为变革的积极推动者。该项目更广泛的意义在于，它有可能帮助青年成为具有韧性和社会意识的个人，从而能够应对社区中的复杂挑战。通过课程，青年参与者对灾害、气候变化和社会公平之间的相互作用有了更深的了解。他们学习绿色和灰色基础设施解决方案、数据可视化技术和青年宣传策略。通过参与实践活动和制定行动计划，青年不仅增进了对科学和技术的了解，而且还培养了领导技能，并在社区内建立了网络。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一门课程和一个开源地图工具，解决一个关键问题：在抗灾工作中缺乏青年代表和赋权。传统上，这些青年被边缘化，他们的观点在与灾害有关的社区规划和决策过程中被忽视。机会在于利用青年的潜力，为增强复原力和促进社会公平作出有意义的贡献。课程的创新之处在于其跨学科的方法，整合了环境正义、数据可视化和青年倡导的元素。通过将这些组成部分结合起来，该项目旨在为青年提供知识和技能，以了解灾害、气候变化和社会公平之间的关系，并使他们能够在社区内倡导变革。该课程鼓励批判性思维、公民参与和制定行动计划，使青年成为韧性和社区驱动解决方案的催化剂。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to empower and amplify the voices of Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) youth in building disaster resilience within their communities. By developing a curriculum, this project aims to provide middle school youth with the knowledge, skills, and tools to address environmental justice issues related to disasters. This innovative approach fosters civic engagement, data literacy, and critical thinking among youth, equipping them to become active agents of change. The project's broader significance lies in its potential to assist youth in becoming resilient and socially conscious individuals who can tackle complex challenges in their communities. Through the curriculum, youth participants gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between disasters, climate change, and social equity. They learn about green and grey infrastructure solutions, data visualization techniques, and youth advocacy strategies. By engaging in hands-on activities and developing action plans, youth not only enhance their scientific and technological understanding but also cultivate leadership skills and build networks within their communities. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a curriculum and an open-source mapping tool, which addresses a crucial problem: the lack of representation and empowerment of youth in disaster resilience efforts. Traditionally, these youth have been marginalized and their perspectives overlooked in community planning and decision-making processes related to disasters. The opportunity lies in harnessing the potential of youth to contribute meaningfully to resilience and foster social equity. The innovation of the curriculum lies in its interdisciplinary approach, integrating elements of environmental justice, data visualization, and youth advocacy. By combining these components, this project aims to equip youth with the knowledge and skills to understand the relationship between disasters, climate change, and social equity, and empower them to advocate for change within their communities. The curriculum encourages critical thinking, civic engagement, and the development of action plans, enabling youth to become catalysts for resilience and community-driven solutions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.