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Market Statement

ResilientRoots, a collaboration between the University of California and the University of Maryland Eastern Shores 4-H Sustainable Community Project, aims to empower low-income Latino and Black middle school youth by providing culturally relevant environmental education and engaging them in youth-led service learning projects. The program focuses on building community climate resilience and fostering knowledge about climate and environmental justice issues. Implemented across three California counties (San Mateo, San Diego, and Sonoma) and three Maryland counties (Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester), the project leverages existing relationships with community partners to deliver high-quality, impactful programming. Youth will participate in fifteen sessions, exploring local environments, understanding climate impacts, and developing service projects to address these issues. The program draws on established curricula, such as Project Learning Tree and Climate Smart, and incorporates AI and mapping tools to enhance technological literacy. Service projects may include improving access to outdoor recreational areas, increasing tree canopy cover, or educating communities about severe climate weather preparedness. By emphasizing positive youth development, the program fosters critical life skills, scientific literacy, and civic engagement. Educators, trained in positive youth development and trauma-informed practices, will facilitate these sessions, ensuring a safe, inclusive environment. The initiative aims to build long-term capacity among educators and partner organizations, ensuring sustainability beyond the grant period. Through consistent engagement, youth will develop resilience, leadership skills, and a commitment to addressing community issues, ultimately becoming informed and active participants in public policy discourse related to climate justice. This approach not only addresses immediate educational needs but also prepares youth for future roles in mitigating and adapting to climate change, thereby fostering a generation of environmentally conscious leaders.

Program Implementation

During the months of September, October, and November 2024, we laid the foundation for our work through multiple convenings to advance progress on program planning. This includes once-monthly zoom meetings, and, in October, an all-day, in-person curriculum planning meeting. At this in person meeting, members from the UC and UMES team came together to review background knowledge on environmental issues, begin curriculum mapping, and made progress towards overall program design. At this meeting, a member of the UMES team flew out to California to collaborate in person together. As a result of these monthly meetings and in person convening, we have begun program design and are geared up for a pilot implementation at both host sites in summer 2025.

Community Integration

We have been integrating community into our program by relaying our progress and getting feedback from our community partners during the program development phase. As a joint institution grant with six different community partner sites across the country in time zones three hours apart, it wouldn’t be feasible to ask our community partners to attend our planning meetings. Instead, as we have been developing programming, the program directors have been meeting separately with our community partners to gather feedback on our work. This has proven an effective strategy for integrating the needs of our community partners while planning.

Technology Integration

As a program that bridges two coasts of the United States, our team relies on technology to accomplish its goals. This includes the use of Zoom and online collaboration tools for meetings. Furthermore, we have begun to map out the integration of technology into our curriculum, such as through the use of artificial intelligence, GIS mapping, and other technologies that can be leveraged to advance environmental knowledge. We also envision using technology as part of our evaluation strategy.

Sustaining

Our approach to sustainability focuses on developing scalable products that can be retained and implemented even after the five-year grant cycle. This includes writing a strong, engaging curriculum that draws on best pedagogical practices when teaching about the environment. In tandem with this, we will be developing professional development workshops for our community partners. These workshops would prepare educators at our afterschool community partner sites to implement the curriculum, while also giving them strong background knowledge on environmental issues. In our first year, we have worked on the curriculum and are nearing completion on it. Once we have done that, we will work on training workshops for our community partners.

Short-Term Results

• Youth will have improved leadership and communication skills, and self-confidence as a result of their program participation. • Youth will have improved leadership and communication skills • Youth will have increased self-confidence • Youth will improve their resilience and everyday life skills.

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• ••Medium-Term: Youth engage in advocacy for change for improved system change within their communities • Increased participation of youth and their families to 4-H opportunities from previously underserved population • Decrease in school dropout rates in the low-income communities • Improved social condition of youth and families in the low-income communities • Multi-county expansion of the programs • A collaborative network within communities and across the states for program sustainability.

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• Youth will have improved knowledge of localized climate and environment justice issues. •Youth will have improved understanding of local climate issues. •Youth will have improved understanding of environmental issues and skills to building community resilience. •Youth will have improved scientific literacy including the use of AI and mapping tools.

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Long-Term Results

• The development of long-term grassroots leadership and capacity among youth within their communities. Youth will have improved 4-H positive youth development thriving outcomes. Youth will have improved scientific and life skills, efficacy, and critical consciousness as a result of participating in the program. • • Youth will have improved resiliency • Youth will have increased social connections within the communities and mentoring relationships with adults.

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