RESILIENCE AMBASSADOR CHALLENGE

To expand opportunities for high school students to engage in problem-solving activities focused on our annual challenge topics, Design Our Future has entered into a unique partnership with the West Virginia University (WVU) Center for Resilient Communities (CRC) and their Resilience Ambassadors Program.

The CRC is dedicated to advancing community-engaged research and education programs that generate knowledge and empower individuals, with the goal of building more just, equitable, and vibrant communities in West Virginia, the greater Appalachian region, and beyond. Through long-term commitments and cooperative agreements, the CRC collaborates with students, scholars, and community partners, both locally and globally, to foster transformative change in our communities.

This collaboration offers high school students the opportunity to participate in a holistic resilience training program and contribute to a dedicated WVU CRC Resilience Ambassadors Challenge Series. To learn more about the WVU CRC Resilience Ambassadors Program, click here.

For Spring 2025, WVU CRC and Design Our Future have launched a new Challenge designed specifically for CRC Resilience Ambassadors that have either participated in a prior Resilience Ambassadors Workshop or that complete the same work through this Challenge.

Background

The ability to Design Our Future depends on assessing our past and present vulnerability to climate change.

Over the past decade West Virginia, Kentucky, and other Appalachian communities have experienced an increase in the severity of flash flooding that has cost us lives, livelihoods and leveled entire towns in just a few hours. Most notably the floods in 2016 showed us just how vulnerable many families and towns are to changes in intense rainfall. Looking ahead, it is anticipated that flash flooding will continue and perhaps even increase in severity. While we may not be able to predict exactly where these events will occur or how disastrous the consequences will be, we can plan ahead. We need your help to get us there. Preparing for climate change requires new approaches that are inclusive of insights outside of the traditional flood expert.

Participation in this challenge offers a valuable opportunity for high school students to engage in climate resilience work, build critical thinking skills, and contribute to their communities. Through completing assessments, creating posters, and presenting findings, students will have the chance to grow in their capacity to cooperate, promote mutual aid, and build unity of thought and action toward a more equitable future for all.

How Can You Participate in the Resilience Ambassador Challenge?

To participate in this Resilience Ambassador Challenge, you must:

  1. Complete the “Preparing for Tomorrow” Workbook and Short Course - You can contact Grace Dever with WVU CRC at [email protected] for access to the workbook and course materials, designed to equip students with the tools to assess vulnerability to flooding in their communities
  2. Decide to Enter - After completing the course, you can either assemble a team of up to 5 individuals to collaborate on the project (which is encouraged) or participate individually. Ideally, all teams should have a teacher at the school that can sponsor the project.
  3. Complete the Assessment Template and Reporting Structure - Using the template and reporting structure provided by WVU CRC, each team will assess their communities vulnerability to flooding based on a series of focused constraints.
  4. Create a Poster - Design a poster that highlights your research and findings. This is your opportunity to showcase your creative insights about your community.
  5. Present Your Work - Participants that complete their assessments and posters will be selected and invited to present their work at the West Virginia University Community-Engaged Research Symposium. This will be an opportunity to share your findings with other community members and scholars who are working to build more vibrant communities across West Virginia.
  6. Challenge Completion
    - Eligible participants will receive a $200 prize per person as recognition for their efforts in advancing flood resilience in their community.

Why Participate?

Building a collaborative framework and working in teams is an essential part of the challenge. As we know, creating a more flood-resilient community cannot be done alone. Conducting a flood vulnerability assessment requires each of us to reflect on our own experiences, work in groups to share and enhance collective understanding, and utilize available resources to expand our knowledge of our community. This process will ultimately help us conduct an assessment that is based on our collective observations that will aid in planning and taking necessary steps to ensure the safety and well-being of ourselves and our community.

Eligibility & Participation Guidelines

The WVU CRC + Design Our Future Resilience Ambassador Challenge is open to all teens ages 13 through 19 who are high school students in grades 9 through 12, or who are homeschooled students working toward a high school degree anywhere in the United States.

As noted, you can enter as an individual or as a team of up to five people, but you may submit only one Entry, either as an individual or as part of a team.

Please refer to the Rules for requirements in addition to this noted on this page.

Registration Information & Consent Forms

To participate, you register by March 31, 2025. To register, all participants must email Grace Dever with WVU CRC at [email protected] to indicate their intention to participate (and name any fellow team members) and submit a completed and signed Parent or Legal Guardian Consent Form.

Once registered, you will receive an email with assessment templates and additional resources to help guide your challenge submission.

Timeline

The timeline for the inaugural WVU CRC + Design Our Future Resilience Ambassador Challenge for the school year 2024-2025 follows.

  • Registration Date: March 31, 2025
  • Submission Close Date: April 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET (via email to Grace Dever at WVU CRC at [email protected]
    Important Dates:
  • Challenge Completion Finalists: May 30, 2025 (or earlier): Award winners and honorable mentions are notified and also announced on the website
  • June 6, 2025 (or earlier): Prizes will be distributed to first, second, and third-place winners for each topic