Amistades, INC and their subawardees will address the critically increasing heat severity and its impact in disproportionately affected latino-dominant communities where socioeconomic and cultural…

Amistades, INC and their subawardees will address the critically increasing heat severity and its impact in disproportionately affected latino-dominant communities where socioeconomic and cultural barriers and historical trauma from barrio/neighborhood eradication promote system mistrust and sustained disparity in the tucson, arizona. Their efforts will jumpstart the city of tucson 2022 tucson resilient together climate and adaptation plan goals by building heat severity resilience in and nearby the tucson's 85706 ZIP codes which currently has six latino neighborhoods with excessive heat index and low shade tree equity. Project activities will focus on culturally specific community outreach and engagement and partnership development; climate resiliency education and planning using the environmental justice problem solving (ejcps) model; and youth and adult advocacy and mobilization training as advocates in regional environmental justice advisory groups and committees. Specific project objectives will be to 1) engage and inform latino residents about climate resiliency; 2) build capacity to respond to extreme heat events and advocate for environmental justice issues specific to their neighborhoods, and 3) create access to resources and adaptive strategies that help them stay safe, cool, and bring temperatures down. Project efforts will result in a master climate resiliency plan that includes the conceptual design of two culturally centered climate resilience hubs that will provide safe spaces for residents to cool down, build connections, and access resources; development of a climate crisis communication and response plan, development of a 15- member youth climate coalition implementing community climate resilience activities; community toolkit, and mobilization of 10 trained latino climate advocates engaging in regional action. Formative evaluation by amistades, INC. Will measure the impact of activities for continuous improvement. This agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $500,000.activities:the grantee will award and manage subawards; create a communication strategy; schedule/design/implement sessions with key audiences (meetings, information sessions, mobilization activities/events, etc); develop and recruit a diverse group for a community of practice (youth coalition and climate advocates); measure success of work; develop/distribute factsheets; develop a master climate resiliency plan which includes a climate crisis communication and response plan as well as will help determine needs to implement/design and identify two resilience hubs; and design/publish a community toolkit. Subrecipient:subawards will support activities such as: 1) coordinate with amistades teams in coordination meetings; 2) support project planning and implementation; 3) develop and run engaging environmental education programs for families and youth; 4) offer workshops, events, and hands-on environmental education; 5) create educational materials and resources; 6) partner with schools and community organizations; 7) evaluate program impact and refine approaches; 8) provide training for educators and volunteers; and 9) CO-lead environmental stewardship and volunteer activities toward environmental action.outcomes:1. 30- 36 monthly project meetings with subawardees. Outcome: key subaward partner and networking ally investment into a culturally adapted and responsive climate resiliency plan; 2. Communications plan. Outcome: rather than embracing traditional mainstream communication strategies associated with generic outreach initiatives, amistades INC. Will utilize an outreach and communication campaign rooted in razalogia utilizing cafecitos as the communication strategy. The plan then is to use these strategies to gage and engage participants to this grant (i.e. the community) and learn from and present their story at final report. Finally, these strategies will be used to yield an adapted, grassro