Throughout the summer, ITE engaged 60 youth around Tucson and Southern AZ to share their experiences on how heat is impacting them and their communities. We received incredible feedback from the respondents not only highlighting their voices but also seeing the many solutions they came up with. We then invited 11 of these youth to participate in a collaborative and constructive workshop with ITE staff and the University of Arizona’s SCORCH (Southwest Center on Resilience for Climate Change & Health) team from the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. These youth then analyzed and read through the survey results, which allowed them to draft up an action plan to implement the solutions that we received from all 60 survey respondents. In their solutions they highlighted potential partners and actionable steps to bring their project to life. We will soon have one youth participant from the SCORCH project present in a youth panel at the City of Tucson’s 3rd Annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit in February 2026.
