February 2022

To set the scene, we are now checking in after completing CALS 502- Communication for Climate Action, having completed the first half of CALS 503- Climate Risk Management, and ideating the Design Thinking (DT) Challenge, which is an ongoing component of CALS 501- Leading Climate Action in Society Part 1. The DT challenge is an iterative process, my DT team has been through many versions of our idea and we are now at the prototyping stage of the challenge. The question that we are trying to answer with the DT challenge is “what are ways we might encourage the public [businesses, politicians, educational institutions, not for profits, communities] to use their voice and understanding to become more actively engaged in creating and implementing climate adaptation strategies?” We chose to focus on youth and create an open education source to empower youth to take action on climate change.

Recently in CALS 503- Climate Risk Management, we studied different approaches to climate risk assessments. A bottom-up approach focuses on involving partners or stakeholders from the first stages of the process and using their knowledge and expertise of the area. Building trust is a key element of a bottom-up approach, which takes time. The hope is that this is time well spent because it is proven that involving stakeholders or partners in all stages of the process improves the chances of long-term success in reducing risk. (CCME, 2021).

At this point in the DT challenge, we are focusing on facilitating a DT challenge for the youth participants. This concept would provide youth with the tools and supports for them to be the experts and leaders of their own ideas and climate solutions. Similarly to a bottom-up approach of climate risk assessment, it focuses on the youth/stakeholder/partner being involved from the beginning of the process. As mentioned, one key factor in the a bottom-up approach is forming a trusting relationship. How do we ensure that trust is part of the equation so that youth feel seen, heard, and ready to take action?

The concept of trust between educator and audience was explored more deeply in CALS 502- Communication for Climate Action. “Trust between the educator and the audience plays a key role in audience receptivity to climate change messages. Educators can establish trust by working with local trusted partners and opinion leaders and by thinking carefully about the messenger” (Armstrong et al., 2018, p. 76). The text goes on to state that environmental educators are often already considered a trusted source of information. As mentioned, the aim of our DT challenge concept is to give youth the tools and resources to take action. How do we create trust between the concept we are creating (the educator) and the youth (the audience)?

In a presentation on risk, vulnerability, and resilience, Dr Lori Peek states that “young people learn the most, they remember the most, and they are able to affect the most change when they are the ones to identify both the problems and the solutions” (The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, 2016). Giving the youth as much independence and control as possible has been a key focus in our team’s DT thinking challenge process.

Establishing trust in the climate action space is a theme that has surfaced in each course so far and is a component that I hope our team can incorporate into the DT challenge. The questions that I still have are how can we establish trust from an online platform? Will the level of trust established impact the amount of leadership and independence taken on by the youth?

References

Armstrong, A. K., Krasny, M. E., & Schuldt, J. P. (2018). Communicating climate change: A guide for educators. Comstock Publishing Associates, an imprint of Cornell University Press.

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). (2021). Guidance on Good Practices in Climate Change Risk Assessment.

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. (2016, February 18). Risk, vulnerability, and resilience. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlXWot27Omk