The Youth Climate Ambassadors program is a central pillar of the Resilient SW Detroit initiative, designed to foster leadership and advocacy within the community.
Program Mission
Intergenerational Collaboration: The program brings together youth and adult groups to collaborate on climate education and outreach.
Leadership Development: A primary focus is on building leadership skills through the creation of climate-related educational materials and community stories for media.
Movement Building: Ambassadors use “Cultural Power”—including art, language, and shared experiences—to transform worldviews and disrupt the status quo.
Key Activities
Education & Outreach: Ambassadors learn and collaborate to lead outreach through education, storytelling, and policy advocacy.
Community Storytelling: The program utilizes Marshall Ganz’s public narrative framework, focusing on the “Story of Self,” “Story of Now,” and “Story of Us” to find community alignment.
Peer Learning: Participants attend workshops focused on cultural organizing and narrative strategy to address climate and health justice.
Partners & Support
Leadership development and programming are facilitated by
Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (DHDC)
Goals & Outcomes
Increased Knowledge: The track aims to significantly increase community and youth knowledge regarding climate impacts.
Grassroots Engagement: A major goal is to achieve 100 total entities engaged through outreach and education by the third year of the project.
Measurable Impact: The initiative seeks to empower youth to lead the charge in protecting neighborhoods disproportionately affected by environmental stressors.