Flagstaff Youth Climate Summit

Get out your calendars! The 2nd Annual Flagstaff Youth Climate Summit will be held on April 16, 2019 at The Arboretum at Flagstaff. The Summit has expanded into a collaborative event with the Arboretum and Willow Bend Environmental Education Center and will feature three challenges: the Climate Action Challenge, the KidWind Challenge, and the Solar Structure Challenge. Each challenge is open to youth in grades 4-12 who form teams of 2-5 individuals and have an adult mentor. Teams can include youth from public schools, private schools, homeschool groups, afterschool groups, and community organizations (recreation or neighborhood centers, Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Scout troops, etc). All teams who attend the Summit will compete for prizes and awards, attend workshops, and learn about climate action and sustainability in Flagstaff.

Space for the Summit is limited so sign your team up now!

Climate Action Challenge-

The Climate Action Challenge (formally the Student Climate Action Challenge) encourages Flagstaff youth to take climate action in their neighborhoods, schools, or communities. Climate Action Teams will design and implement a project to build resiliency and sustainability given the local impacts of climate change. Action Teams will have access to The Climate Action Challenge Toolkit to walk them through what climate change is, how it impacts Flagstaff and Coconino County, and how they can develop and implement a meaningful climate action project.

While all teams who participate in the Climate Action Challenge are encouraged to attend the Flagstaff Youth Climate Summit and compete for the Climate Action Award, teams unable to attend the Summit can still participate in the Climate Action Challenge. However, Teams unable to attend the Summit are not be eligible to compete for the Climate Action Award.

The City of Flagstaff Sustainability Program is supporting the Climate Action Challenge.

KidWind Challenge-

In the KidWind Challenge, students will explore the power of wind by building and testing their own wind turbines. Learn about wind power, build a turbine, and test your turbine in a 4ft tall wind tunnel–all in good fun! Teams judged as having the most efficient turbines will receive prizes. Teams will receive building materials for designing their turbine.

Due to material kit limitations and wind turbine evaluation process, teams interested in the KidWind Challenge MUST be able to attend the Flagstaff Youth Climate Summit to participate in the challenge.

Willow Bend is supporting the KidWind Challenge.

Solar Structure Challenge-

The goal of the Solar Structure Challenge is to construct an object that is powered by the sun! Teams will build a solar powered item and bring it to the Flagstaff Youth Climate Summit to compete against other teams. Judges will examine how your structure works and ask questions about your design and construction process. Your solar device will be evaluated on your thoughtful, creative, and resourceful design; the innovation and complexity of your circuitry; your reflections on the construction process; and what you learned about solar power. Teams will receive building materials for designing their solar-powered structure.

Due to material kit limitations and the solar-powered object evaluation process, teams interested in the Solar Structure Challenge MUST be able to attend the Flagstaff Youth Climate Summit to participate in the challenge.

Willow Bend is supporting the Solar Structure Challenge.