Resilient by Design is excited to partner with the UC Berkeley Center for Cities+Schools (CC+S) through the evidence-based Y-PLAN educational methodology and to be involved in the collaborative effort to create a unified vision for a resilient future for the Bay Area. In the coming year, CC+S will work with school districts around the Bay Area to engage 300-500 high school students in the Resilient by Design | Y-PLAN Youth Challenge in cities including Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and more!

CC+S is committed to working with youth and schools furthest from opportunity, “at risk,” and in greatest need of access to opportunities, such as Y-PLAN, that are academically rigorous, relevant to their lives and meaningful to their whole communities. Together, we will build on existing school district relationships and education networks across the Bay Area to create the Y-PLAN Youth Challenge, where young people will engage with experts and local stakeholders to co-design innovative and implementable solutions, emphasizing the interconnectedness of land, water, infrastructure and the quality of life—with local specificity and ownership.

Resilient by Design | Y-PLAN Youth Challenge

•  Identify sites for Y-PLAN Youth Challenge projects;
• Identify and work with Bay Area Challenge Design Teams eager for youth input into their design ideas and vision;
• Integrate resilience planning and development/innovation with current school curriculum to deepen the lessons and quality of the work.

Core Components

• Work with up to 10 Bay Area high school classrooms, largely grounded in environmental science, as well as classrooms studying health, social justice, and related fields who will examine the social impacts of climate change through the Y-PLAN engagement process.
• Selected Bay Area Challenge Design Teams will serve as “Clients” to the Y-PLAN Youth Challenge Student Teams to:
• Structure specific questions for the Student Teams to tackle in the Spring 2018 Y-PLAN Design Phase;
• Provide expertise and guidance to Student Teams; and
• Serve as role models and sources of inspiration for future college and career readiness for the young resilience planners.
• Create 5-10 classroom based, and youth-led, Resilient by Design proposals for the Design Teams and the broader city/school partners.  
• Provide UC Berkeley student mentorship to the high school Student Teams.
• Offer Y-PLAN Youth Resilience Implementation Grant Awards – CC+S will offer up to $500 to schools with winning Y-PLAN Youth Challenge proposals to implement their Bay Area Innovation Proposals.

Previous Example of a Specific Project: Richmond 2015 Y-PLAN Climate Action Plan (CAP) Project Summary – the City of Richmond has since implemented a range of Y-PLAN students’ recommendations. More here.

Read the blog on the Resilient by Design website here.