Incorporating Youth Voices in the CAP Update
06/14/23
The County’s Climate Action Plan Update (CAP Update) will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, support sustainability efforts, and create co-benefits like clean air and water, more parks and open space, and better health for residents across the unincorporated area. A crucial component in the development of the CAP Update has been public outreach and stakeholder engagement to ensure the CAP Update will reflect the lived experiences and voices of the community. It is of particular importance to hear from populations who don’t regularly engage with the planning process, including young people.
CAP Update outreach has made direct efforts to connect with the young people of San Diego. Our main objectives of youth outreach were to:
- Hear from the next generation about what climate change impacts they’re actively experiencing throughout the county, what they’re concerned about, and what further problems they foresee
- Obtain more perspectives and ideas to encourage a well-informed Climate Action Plan
- Obtain insight into current sustainability efforts and potential community contacts to reach out to in the unincorporated area
With these objectives in mind, we planned on visiting schools and youth-focused groups in the unincorporated area to present and speak to young people directly.
To do so, we adapted a Common Core-approved lesson plan and worksheet and created a coinciding PowerPoint presentation to present and obtain feedback from schools, youth-led organizations, and environmental clubs with large unincorporated student populations.
The worksheet we used included two feedback questions:
- How worried are you about climate change?
- Rank the
following six climate change impacts from most to least concern
- Water cost and quality; air quality; food insecurity; extreme weather; social inequality; and increased infectious diseases.
We arrived at these six impacts after researching the main impacts of climate change and discussing which of these impacts may be the most relevant to residents in San Diego County.
The worksheet also included a ‘personal narrative’ piece, where students were able to share their personal experiences and reactions to climate change.
Locations visited in San Diego County
Staff presented to high school students
Common key words from youth about climate change
We received responses from six schools and/or youth-led organizations and presented at these locations to reach a total of 242 young people. Feedback from our outreach efforts had a few key results. After compiling data from all responses, we found that young people across San Diego County (with a focus on the unincorporated area) are somewhat worried about climate change. They also showed more concern with air quality and water cost and quality, whilst focusing less on social inequality and increased infectious diseases. Nonetheless, written responses reflected common themes of frustration, sadness, and fear, with a sense of being overwhelmed with climate change issues.
As such, we hope this outreach works to empower young voices and display the impact they can make in climate change efforts both now and in the future. Feedback and quotes from our youth outreach efforts will be used to inform the development of the CAP Update.
Climate Action Links