RISE Challenge Illinois!


​The Environmental Education Association of Illinois has teamed up with Earth Force, Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 5, and the Association of State Floodplain Managers Foundation, to create RISE Challenge Illinois and offer it to
​Illinois educators, both formal and non-formal,
and students in grades 5-10.

What is RISE Challenge Illinois?
The mission of RISE Challenge Illinois is to create a generation with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to improve community resilience to natural disasters.
 
Part inquiry-based learning, part competition, and part summit, RISE Challenge Illinois engages students in exploring their local communities to identify real-world environmental issues and develop solutions and action plans for making their communities more resilient. There is no cost for schools or students to participate!
 
The goals of RISE Challenge Illinois are to:
  1. Improve community engagement in developing resilience. When students participate in local problem-solving, their experience is durable. Young people who have experience making their community resilient are more likely to participate as adults and will be more aware of risks and be prepared for future events. 
  2. Improve student learning. When asked to solve problems facing their community, students leverage experience,  harness internal resources, and apply these lessons to find and implement the best solution. Along the way, there is experimentation, failure, success, and ultimately consequences for actions. This method, where students drive their own learning, is the cornerstone of deep understanding that young people need in order to thrive in a world driven by change. 



​Why RISE Challenge Illinois?


​RISE Challenge Illinois Project Focus



​How It Works


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​How to Get Started
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​Already working on an environmental project to improve your community?
  • Transforms learning environments into vibrant learning communities by grounding learning in issues students care about. 
  • Deepens learning by asking students to leverage experience, harness internal and external resources, develop a plan, and implement that plan in their community. 
  • Builds problem-solving skills by giving students hands-on experience designing and implementing a project in their community. 
  • Develops civic engagement and important youth-adult relationships by supporting students as they engage with community stakeholders to solve a local problem. 
  • Develops skills in resilience as well as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication – the foundation for the 21st century learning – by asking students to work as a team that is engaging members of their local community.
​RISE Challenge Illinois student-led projects will focus on environmental hazards that directly impact Illinois communities. One of the greatest environmental hazards, faced in some way by almost every community in Illinois is flooding. Teams participating in RISE Challenge Illinois will be encouraged to think about how their community is impacted by flooding, investigate this environmental hazard and mitigation strategies that might be appropriate in their area. Resources, local organizations and experts will be shared with team leaders to gain insight and guidance on local environmental hazards. 
​RISE Challenge Illinois is open to Illinois educators, formal and non-formal, and students, typically in grades 5 – 10 at no cost. Educators can lead RISE Challenge alone or team up with colleagues for cross-curricular learning. Classrooms, after-school programs, scout troops, church youth groups or home-school networks are all great places to establish a team. Participants learn about the natural hazards impacting their communities, select an issue to focus on, conduct in-depth research and engage community stakeholders, define a strategy for addressing their natural hazard issue, and present it in an action plan proposal. Submitted written proposals will be reviewed by a panel of local judges. Groups with the top proposals will be invited to present to a panel of expert judges at the summit, conducted virtually in Spring 2021, for the chance to win prize money!
 
All proposal entries are eligible to apply for funding to help implement proposed projects.
 
Additionally, financial awards will be presented to the top 5 teams presenting at the spring RISE Challenge summit. Prizes range from $1,000 for 1st place to $200 for 5th Place, judged on written proposal and presentation scores.

See past winning student projects. 
Educator Professional Development: 
Introduction to Earth Force
September 21st 3:30 - 5:00 and September 23rd 3:30 - 5:00 - Virtual Event
Must attend both days in order to participate in the 2020/2021 RISE Challenge Illinois
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​Illinois educators interested in RISE Challenge Illinois have the opportunity to take part in our professional development opportunities, all held virtually in 2020/2021. Environmental Education Association of Illinois provides participating educators with no-cost, high-quality PD sessions in the award-winning Community Action & Problem-Solving Process by Earth Force. This Process offers educators a framework for transforming their Project-Based Learning and useful tools for guiding students through community-based civic action projects.
​Even if you don’t go “all in” with RISE Challenge Illinois, you can still enter the Challenge by submitting a student-driven proposal and applying for funds to implement your project! It’s a great way to showcase your students’ work and receive recognition from your community. Sign up now!