CLAYTON COUNTY CLIMATE JUSTICE CHALLENGE

As a student and citizen of Clayton County, climate change will affect your community, maybe more than other communities. But it doesn't have to be that way. We know the solutions to stopping climate change, and we can demand just and equitable climate action. That is the role of a ChangeMaker! Are you ready to take the CCPS Climate Justice Challenge and become a ChangeMaker!?

The Challenge

As a participant in the Clayton County Climate Justice Summit & Challenge, your challenge is to:

Identify a climate justice challenge affecting your community related to one of the two themes -- EARTH Theme: food and soil systems OR FIRE Theme: energy or transportation systems
Using the design thinking process, develop a ChangeMaker plan to address the problem you identified that is just, equitable, desirable, and feasible
Submit your plan along with a 'pitch' video in this platform by March 31, 2023

Challenge Themes

Open to ALL GRADES

Climate challenges and solutions in the EARTH theme may have to do with our food systems (including growing food and managing food waste), soil, and forests in Clayton County.

Questions to Consider:

Do people in my community have access to fresh healthy foods?
Are there local farms or gardens where people in my community are growing fruits and vegetables?
Are there systems or places where people in my community can compost food waste rather than throwing it into the trash?
Do people in my community suffer more health problems relating to poor diet than in other communities? Could this be related to food options and access?
Are there mature trees or forests in my community?

Open to ALL GRADES

Climate challenges and solutions in the FIRE theme have to do with energy and transportation systems in Clayton County.

Questions to Consider:

Do people in my community have access to clean, safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options?
Do people in my community have access to clean, relable, and affordable electricity for our homes, schools, and businesses?
Does my community have the same energy and transportation infrastructure as surrounding communities?
Do people in my community suffer more health problems relating to air pollution than in other communities? Could this be related to transportation and energy production?

ChangeMaker Plans

ChangeMaker Plans must answer all of the following questions:

The Problem: What problem did you identify that you are choosing to solve?
Your Solution: How are you proposing to solve this problem? This section should be detailed to include the solution and how you propose to make it work.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your approach new, better, or innovative?
Founding Story: Share a story about the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started or inspired your plan.
Impact: What impact do you hope your project will have in your community? How can you convince others to care about the issue as well?
What’s Next: How are you planning to take your project to the next level? What support do you need to take it to the next level?

Plans should be submitted as a written plan with any visuals included, AND presented in a 60-90 second "pitch" video (think TED Talk style or Shark Tank). Your video should include information about each of the questions to the Your audience for this pitch are people who can help you make your proposal a reality, so be convincing!

Opening statement in the video should be “I am stepping up to be a Changemaker because...”. Recommended platforms to use: YouTube, Vimeo, Canvas, Instagram Reel, Tik Tok, etc.

Challenge Rules & Details

Teams must be part of a classroom whose teacher registered for the Challenge
Grade 5 teams may submit one plan as a full class, or in teams; Grade 6-12 participants should work in teams of no more than five student
Each team should plan to submit their own ChangeMaker Plan and video by March 31 for review in Round 1 at your school
The top three ChangeMaker Plans from each school will be advanced to Round 2 where they will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers from Captain Planet Foundation, Clayton County Public Schools, and partners
Ten ChangeMaker Plans will be selected to advance to the Final Round, where teams will present their ideas and answer questions from a panel of celebrity judges in April.
ChangeMaker Plan teams selected from the final round will be eligible for paid internship opportunities, small grants to support their projects, mentorship to advance and refine their ideas, media amplification, and more!

Challenge Timeline

January 12 & 13: Kick-Off Summit. Challenge begins!
Jan - March: Climate Justice Workshops & Mentorship Sessions. Workshops, webinars, and other virtual and in-person opportunities will be taking place over the three months. Stay tuned for announcements.
March 31: Round 1 Deadline. All team submissions should be submitted to their school review panel. The top 3 submissions will move to Round 2.
April 3-10: Round 2. Panelists will review to announce 10 finalists to present in the final Round
April 18: Clayton County Climate Action Summit. During Earth Week, the top ten teams will present their designs to a celebrity judge panel during the CCPS Climate Justice Summit.

Evaluation Rubric

Download Rubric

Judging

CLASS LEVEL

Each participating class or teacher should plan to present their student team designs to their school community, and select TWO designs to advance to Round 2. ALL designs should be uploaded to Rocket Judge.

Round 2 Selections Due MARCH 31

DISTRICT LEVEL

Selected designs will be reviewed in Rocket Judge by panelists from Captain Planet Foundation and CCPS based on the official rubric. THREE finalists in the Novice (elementary), Junior (middle), and Senior (high) categories. These final designs will be presented to a celebrity judge panel at the FINAL EVENT on April 18.

FINAL

Three project teams from the Novice, Junior, and Senior categories will be announced AT THE FINAL EVENT. Team's presentations will be shown to the audience and panel of judges, where they'll have an opportunity to answer questions from the judges.

APRIL 18

Submissions will be grouped based on grade level for Round 2 & Round 3 of judging :

Elementary grades = Novice
Middle school grades = Junior
High school grades = Senior

Winners & Prizes

One team/ design from each of the three categories - Novice, Junior, and Senior - will be selected as the winning design and team.

Novice & Junior Winning Teams

Guaranteed spots in a special section of the CCPS STEM Camp to focus specifically on climate and environmental justice, and to advance your project designs to the next step!
Access to mentorship and small grants to support your project development.

Senior Winning Team

Opportunity to attend the Usher's New Look 2023 Disruptivator Summit at Georgia State in Summer 2023.
Guaranteed spots in a special section of the CCPS STEM Camp to focus specifically on climate and environmental justice, and to advance your project designs to the next step!
Access to mentorship and small grants to support your project development.