On April 25th, 2024, excitement filled the air at the Rexdale Community Hub’s STEM Club as we successfully launched our inaugural Youth Data Literacy Workshop, focusing on the pressing issue of urban heat stress. This workshop represented a major step forward in our commitment to equip youth with crucial knowledge about climate resilience and equity. By improving their data literacy, we aim to enable them to contribute effectively to community-based climate resilience initiatives. Our program distinguishes itself with its practical, problem-solving approach that helps those dealing with climate anxiety by providing clear data-driven insights to help make positive impacts in disadvantaged communities.
Exploring the Why behind our Programming
Addressing High Rates of Climate Anxiety among Young People
The most recent survey on climate emotions and anxiety among young people in Canada reveals young Canadians experience significant distress regarding climate change, with over half of individuals surveyed reporting feelings of fear, sadness, anxiety, and powerlessness [4]. This emotional toll (illustrated in the Hickman et al. (2021)[2] survey administered in Canada) is exacerbated by Canada's rapid warming—twice the global average [1]—and its poor track records in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency [3]. Despite setting multiple climate targets, the Canadian government consistently falls short, continuing to support fossil fuel industries with substantial financial incentives [8]. Furthermore, existing issues like poverty, social inequality, settler-colonialism, and systemic racism intensify the climate challenges faced by marginalized groups. Young people's high rates of climate anxiety can be largely attributed to inaction at the systemic and structural levels, youth’s limited opportunities to influence policy-making on climate change, and the “climate of silence”[4]. “Climate of silence” refers to the phenomena where young Canadians either don’t talk to others about climate change or feel dismissed or ignored if they do. [5, 6]
Our workshop is directly tailored to address the increasing climate anxiety among young Canadians, a concern highlighted by many as a gap in the current educational framework in Canada. With an understanding that 6 in 10 young Canadians urge for more comprehensive climate education [4], our program integrates critical content on climate risks and strategies for adaptation and building community resilience that not only educates but empowers. We focus on practical, solutions-focused instruction that moves beyond traditional classroom learning. Through this hands-on approach, we hope to effectively transform students’ feelings of helplessness into empowerment. By doing so, we aim to cultivate a meaning-focused coping strategy, as identified by experts like Ojala [7]. This strategy helps young people balance their climate-related concerns with a strong belief in the efficacy of collective social efforts, enhancing their resilience. The workshop offers a supportive environment where students can discuss climate impacts and innovations with peers, bolstering their confidence and hope for the future.
Filling the Climate Education Gap
Despite ongoing efforts to improve climate change education in Canada, many schools fall short as curriculum works to keep up to date with current events and the rapidly evolving climate response. Curricula often lacks a comprehensive coverage on key aspects like the scientific consensus on climate change, its future risks, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Additionally, education tends to focus too much on individual actions rather than addressing the need for broader systemic changes, preparing students to critically think in new ways. Effective climate education should include discussions that span across both science and humanities, using an interdisciplinary approach to highlight how inequality relates to climate impacts, incorporating Indigenous knowledge, and using local data to make learning relevant to students’ own communities [9].
Only “one-third to one-half (32 -55%) of teachers indicated that they feel they have the knowledge and skills to teach about climate change”, often relying on non-profit organizations for supplementary materials [2]. There is a clear need for ongoing professional development and updated resources that help educators integrate the latest technology and data into their teachings [9].
Our workshop aims to bridge these gaps by focusing on practical, community-based applications of climate knowledge. We emphasize local problem-solving and real-world applications that are often overlooked in traditional education settings. We teach students how to collect, analyze, and interpret local climate data. This hands-on, data-informed approach equips students with the skills and knowledge to make a difference in their communities, helping them understand and tackle climate change not just as a global issue, but a local one as well.
An Afternoon of Learning and Innovation: How We Ran our Program
The workshop kicked off with a comprehensive Introduction to Climate Resilience. Participants were given an overview of how climate adaptation practices can help build community resilience in urban settings. This foundational knowledge is crucial for understanding the broader context of the workshop's activities.
We then looked at The Problem: Heat Stress on Vulnerable Populations. This segment highlighted the climate change impacts in Rexdale and the disproportionate effects of heat stress on vulnerable communities, including the elderly, low-income families, and those without access to adequate cooling. By illustrating these impacts, we emphasize the urgency of developing effective, localized strategies to combat heat stress.
Moving into solutions, the workshop explored Possible Solutions: Community Assets, Tree Canopy, Heat Relief Networks. Participants learned about how enhancing community assets like parks, green spaces and cool roofs can reduce temperatures in urban areas. The concept of expanding tree canopies was introduced as a natural and effective way to provide shade and lower urban temperatures, while the development of heat relief networks was discussed as a critical infrastructure need for providing immediate relief during peak heat periods during the daytime.
We then moved into our interaction portion, Storytelling through Maps. Participants used the Dash Leaflet python library to create web maps that visually represent urban heat stress and community assets for combating it in Rexdale. This hands-on activity not only taught valuable technical skills but also showed how data visualization could be a powerful tool for storytelling and advocacy. Through these maps, participants learned how to effectively communicate complex information to policymakers and the community.
This structured approach to learning and application provides participants with a holistic understanding of urban heat stress and equips them with practical skills and knowledge to advocate for and implement changes within their own communities. The use of interactive tools like web mapping ensures that the information is not only accessible but also engaging, fostering a deeper connection with the content and a clearer vision for actionable solutions.
Lessons Learned and Future Workshop Strategies
The recent Youth Data Literacy Workshop on Urban Heat Stress at Rexdale Community Hub proved to be a resounding success. Students particularly appreciated understanding the full scope of a problem and its potential solutions from the outset, rather than piecing together information towards the end. This format not only engaged them more deeply but also enhanced their ability to connect theoretical knowledge with practical applications.
Reflecting on the workshop’s structure, we learned that introducing the overarching narrative early on—framing the story as a challenge and inviting students to explore solutions—significantly enriched the learning experience. This approach fostered more ideas and discussions, allowing for a more explorative environment where students could interact with a rich array of content, datasets, and diverse perspectives right from the beginning.
Here are the program design ideas we want to explore and build through community co-design, particularly focusing on integrating project-based and design-thinking processes into our climate resilience instruction:
- Dual-Track Workshops: Develop workshops with two distinct tracks to cater to the varied interests of our students:
- A Climate Change Track focusing on the impacts of climate change on local communities and adaptation efforts specific to Toronto.
- A Data Science Track dedicated to data analysis and visualization techniques applied to understand local climate challenges and community assets.
2. Project-Based Learning Phase: Introduce a four-week group project phase at the end of future workshops to provide hands-on, practical application of learned skills:
- Collaborate with community mentors and form partnerships with local organizations to enrich this phase.
- Facilitate community-based projects, such as urban tree planting, which not only apply the workshop’s teachings but also connect students to ongoing climate action efforts.
- Encourage sustained engagement with non-profit organizations, offering students pathways to volunteering, internships, or summer jobs, thereby continuing their hands-on learning and community impact post-workshop.
By implementing these improvements, we aim to provide a more enriching, effective, and engaging learning experience that not only educates but also empowers students to take meaningful action to address their local climate challenges. This refined approach will help us continue to empower students to become informed and capable young leaders who are ready to take climate actions and drive positive change within their communities.
Conclusion
The Youth Data Literacy Workshop on Urban Heat Stress at the Rexdale Community Hub’s STEM Club is just the beginning. It stands as a powerful testament to how data literacy and proactive youth engagement can work to equip the next generation with the knowledge, tools and skills they need to address local climate challenges. Through these workshops, we are not only addressing youth climate anxiety and the immediate climate education gaps but also fostering a capable network of young climate advocates ready to champion sustainable, equitable, and resilient development in their communities.
As we look to the future, our commitment remains strong: to empower youth and disadvantaged communities with the knowledge and resources to adapt to climate change, building the foundation for a resilient, sustainable, and equitable future.
Get Involved: Join our Efforts to Build a Resilient, Sustainable and Equitable Future
- Community Organizations: Partner with us to bring empowering workshops to your community. Email us at programs@crcgreen.com.
- Philanthropists and Foundations: Fund our education programs to empower marginalized communities. Reach out at partnership@crcgreen.com.
- Corporations: Sponsor our climate resilience programs and lead in corporate social responsibility. Get involved and see your impact by contacting partnership@crcgreen.com.
- Data and Climate Professionals: Share your expertise, lead a workshop, mentor the next generation, or help us expand our reach. Connect with us at volunteers@crcgreen.com.
- Researchers: Transform your research into tangible climate actions in our communities. Collaborate with us via partnership@crcgreen.com.
Acknowledgement
Thank you Dr. Karen Smith, Women4Climate Mentorship Program by City of Toronto , Professor Nouman Ashraf , Nation Cheong , Daniel Cowen , Sophie Duncan , Makda Teshome and fellows from Leading Social Justice Program by the School of Cities, University of Toronto, Russ Mitchell , Aiman Malhi , Nihar Sheth from Rexdale Community Hub , Chanrendoff from Sustainable Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP) Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) , Q Chen, Katelyn Macdonald, Dongyoung Kim, Jimmy Chen, Somnath Bhattacharya, Diego Silva, Mandy Poon, Carson Turnbull who are our previous and current volunteers contributed to this initiative.
Reference
[1] Bush, E, and D S Lemmen. Canada’s Changing Climate Report, 2019, https://doi.org/10.4095/314614.
[2] Dr. Ellen Field, Pamela Schwartzberg, et al. “Climate Change Education in the Canadian Classroom.” EdCan Network, 23 Mar. 2020, www.edcan.ca/articles/climate-change-education-canada/.
[3] “Canada.” Climate Action Tracker, climateactiontracker.org/countries/canada/. Accessed 20 May 2024.
[4] Galway, Lindsay P., and Ellen Field. “Climate emotions and anxiety among young people in Canada: A national survey and call to action.” The Journal of Climate Change and Health, vol. 9, Jan. 2023, p. 100204, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100204.
[5] Galway, Lindsay P., et al. “What drives climate action in Canada’s provincial north? exploring the role of connectedness to nature, climate worry, and talking with friends and family.” Climate, vol. 9, no. 10, 28 Sept. 2021, p. 146, https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9100146.
[6] Hickman, Caroline, et al. “Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: A global survey.” The Lancet Planetary Health, vol. 5, no. 12, Dec. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/s2542-5196(21)00278-3.
[7] Ojala, Maria. “Young People and Global Climate Change: Emotions, coping, and engagement in Everyday Life.” Geographies of Global Issues: Change and Threat, 2016, pp. 329–346, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-54-5_3.
[8]“The Running List of Federal Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Canada in 2023.” Environmental Defence, environmentaldefence.ca/the-running-list-of-federal-fossil-fuel-subsidies-in-canada-in-2023/. Accessed 20 May 2024.
[9] Von Bassewitz, Nadia. “International climate change policy: Where do we stand?” Climate Change: International Law and Global Governance, 2013, pp. 101–170, https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845242774_101.