In this session, the Climate Impact Innovators had the opportunity to channel their passion for the environment and their community, into creating a community engagement action plan. This past month, the Southwest Santa Rosa HEAT Project launched a community-wide extreme heat survey designed to understand local heat experiences and the youth are leading efforts on the ground to promote the survey. Working in small groups, the youth brainstormed innovative and community-based

The Climate Impact Innovator program, a 9-month climate leadership program focused on extreme heat, has a focus on connecting local youth to opportunities in the environmental field. In February 2026, the Climate Impact Innovators had the opportunity to hear from a panel of local government and community leaders who are paving the way for a more climate resilient Santa Rosa. Featuring panelists from Sonoma Land Trust, the City of Santa Rosa Planning Department, and Sonoma Cou

In January 2026, the Climate Impact Innovators spent a sunny Saturday in Santa Rosa conducting a school infrastructure “scavenger hunt” and surveying community members. As part of this site inventory, the youth were tasked with identifying protective heat structures, such as water fountains and shared benches, and features of the natural environment that help protect people from heat, such as trees and vegetation. The Climate Impact Innovators conducting an extreme heat site

The Southwest Santa Rosa Extreme Heat Project had a kickoff event at Latino Service Provider’s annual Winter Celebration held on December 12, 2025. With the Southwest Santa Rosa Extreme project website being live, and the newsletters ready to go, the team was excited to gather with LSP staff, family members, and other Youth Promotores alumni to get our project introduced. The event had an amazing turnaround with almost 100 people coming in and out of the community celebration