We've created workshops to train community members to see, evaluate, and share their everyday experiences through the lens of climate change

#OurChangingClimate seeks diversify our understanding of the impacts of climate change by integrating with communities most vulnerable to it: youth set to inherit these impacts, communities of color, and/or low-income communities. We ask youth participants to use social media (something they’re already very interested and well-versed in using) to share the everyday ways they experience climate change impacts and how they perceive their own vulnerability and resilience to it. Our workshops have also been designed to engage university faculty, environmental design students, environmental design professionals, and others. We've held workshops throughout California and in Austin, Milwaukee, Barcelona, and Bangkok. Help us expand our network and diversify the ways we talk about our changing climate by holding a workshop in your community today.

Workshop Outline

We've developed a 2-day curriculum to train a range of audiences to see built environments, to evaluate its vulnerability to climate change, and to share these observations through social media. Below is an overview of the workshop sessions.

Overview

Day 1

Day 2

Introduction to #OurChangingClimate

Pre-Workshop Preparations, Identifying Community Partners, Integrating with Participant Interests

Climate Change and Social Networking

Introduction to Climate Change Impacts in the Built Environment and Opportunities for Resilience through Social Networking.

Workshop Welcome

Participant and workshop leader introductins; Ice-breaker activity: Social media scavenger hunt.

45m

Regional-Scaled Climate Change Impacts and Links to Participant Interests

Introduces the connections between climate change and participant interests; Introduces the ways in which scientists and policy makers look at climate change; Examines climate change vulnerability in the specific region of workshop location; Places participants on the vulnerability map and provides an opportunity to brainstorm additional climate change indicators.

1h

Site-Scaled Climate Change Impacts and Environmental Design

Introduces environmental designers’ approach to climate change; Identifies indicators of climate change in the built environment; Illustrates the new indicators of climate change related to participant interests.

1h

#OurChangingClimate and Social Networking

Identifies with participants the key themes and/or locations for investigation; Identifies with participants key project indicators; Develops a work plan; Creates an invitation for community participation.

30m

Workshop Conclusion

Workshop closing remarks; Workshop summary and evaluation.

15m

Developing Digital Narratives

Identifying Key Network Themes and Introduction to Digital Narrative and Mapping Tools to Spread Your Network.

Workshop Welcome

Reintroductions and updates from last workshop

15m

#OurChangingClimate Content Analysis

Brainstorms themes generated by online content; Introduces digital aggregator tools

45m

Digital Narrative Tools

Introduces digital narrative tools; Participants develop draft narratives

45m

Working Lunch

Workshop leaders present precedent projects; Participants present draft narratives

1h

Spatial Analysis and Image Manipulation

Introducs basic digital tools for mapping aggregated posts; Introduces basic digital tools manipulating images to support digital narrative themes

45m

Workshop Conclusion

Workshop closing remarks; Workshop summary and evaluation

30m

Interested in leading a workshop? Please get in touch; we can help provide resources and guidence.

Meet the #OurChangingClimate Team

N. Claire Napawan

Brett Snyder

Sheryl-Ann Simpson

"You must draw linkages between people’s interests and the changing world around them."

N. Claire Napawan is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design within the Department of Human Ecology at the University of California Davis. Her research focuses on the investigation of urban public landscapes and their role in supporting community resilience.

"Everything is related to climate change. Everything."

Brett Snyder, AIA is a principal of Cheng+Snyder and an Associate Professor of Design at the University of California, Davis. Snyder works at and researches the intersection of architecture, media, and graphics with a particular interest in urban spaces.

"The key to resilience is community participation."

Sheryl-Ann Simpson is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Human Ecology at the University of California Davis. Her research focuses on the relationships between governments and communities.

Project Timeline

  • Project launched
  • Initial partnership establisehd with community-based non-profit, Institute for Sustainable Economic, Education, and Environmental Design (I-SEEED)
  • Generous funding support from the University of California Humanities Research Institute's (UCHRI) Public Partnerships in Humanities Grant and the Hellman Family Foundation
  • First community-based workshops held with San Francisco Bay Area youth groups
  • Project presentation at the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) annual conference in Los Angeles
  • #OurChangingClimate digital invitation film launched
  • #OurChangingClimate project team named one of University of California Davis' Climate Action Champions
  • #OurChangingClimate website launched, with support of the University of California's Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) Tech for Social Good grant
  • Project presentation at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) annual conference in Salt Lake City
  • Workshop held for University of California Davis community, including faculty, staff, and students
  • Workshop held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in collaboration with the Imagining America annual conference and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee School of Environmental Design
  • Project selected as a finalist for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Eco Place by Design competition in the category of Equity + Inclusion
  • Workshop held at the 2017 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) in Santa Barbara
  • Workshops planned for Sacramento and Coachella Valley regions in collaboration with community partners
  • Exhibition planned for the Imagining America annual conference in Davis, CA
  • Workshops planned in various North American, European, and Southeast Asian cities in collaboration with community partners
  • #OurChangingClimate is an expanding project, thanks to its diverse participants and generous contributors