Our partners at Earth Force specialize in Environmental Action Civics. In this approach, youth and adults partner to find solutions for a local environmental problem and engage with community members to take action, by advocating for change of policies or practices.
Earth Force works here in Colorado to host the RISE Challenge, a program for middle and high school students to take action to increase resilience to natural hazards. Students are eligible to receive funding to complete their action projects and compete in a statewide competition each spring.
Earth Force has developed a suite of classroom activities and tools to implement environmental action civics in your classroom that perfectly complement the HEART Force curriculum. Introduce students to the science behind the natural hazard using HEART Force lessons and scenario-based role-play games, then facilitate student action projects with the Earth Force process.
To find free Earth Force activities, visit earthforceresources.org and create a free account. Our favorite activities are:
Step 1: Community Environmental Inventories
- Community Inventory List
- The 5 Whys Method of Questioning: Why You Need to Ask Why
- Cause and Effect Tree: An Exercise in Root Cause Analysis
Step 2: Issue Selection
- What’s for Lunch? An example of Criteria-Based Decision Making
- Issue Selection Grid
Step 3: Policy and Practice Research
- What’s in Your Backpack? Activity: Understanding Policy and Practice
- Conducting Research: A Lesson in Policy, Practice, and Stakeholder Research
- The Change I’d Like to See
Step 4: Goal and Strategy Selection
- Goal and Strategy Selection Lesson Plan
- Defining a Course of Action: An Activity in Project Design
- Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Check
- Project Goal and Strategy Selection Statement
Step 5: Taking Action!
- Writing an Action Plan: A Lesson
- Committee Work Plan: A Midway Project Checkpoint
- Step 5 Midway Assessment
Step 6: Reflect and Celebrate
- Reflect and Celebrate: A Step 6 Lesson Plan
If you want to learn more about Earth Force resources, the RISE Challenge, or professional development opportunities, contact Taylor Ruffin, the Colorado RISE Challenge Program Manager.
