Resilience. Innovation. Sustainability. Environment.
The RISE Challenge
The RISE Challenge will not be running in its usual form in the 2025-2026 year.
This means that, at this time, Earth Force and partner sites in Montana, Illinois, and Utah will not be administering the program that has provided supplies and awards for youth-led community resilience projects addressing natural hazards.
Our commitment to supporting educators remains strong. Through the online Environmental Action Civics Alliance, educators and practitioners can still access extensive resources, training, collaboration opportunities, and individualized support to help young people take meaningful action in their communities. Please email Program Manager Taylor Ruffin for the link to join.
We know that building resilience to natural hazards is critical. Earth Force is exploring new ways to sustain the RISE Challenge and ensure that youth-led action continues to be supported and celebrated.
The RISE Challenge creates a generation of citizens with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to improve community resilience to natural disasters.
The first step is investigation: students look at their community and their own experiences to see where they are vulnerable to natural hazards. Along the way they talk to stakeholders and develop a plan. Then, they implement their plan to ask for a change to make their community more resilient!
Each spring, students can submit their ideas to the RISE Challenge. Approved action plans receive funding and students implement their plan!
As they go, students create an Action Story to become eligible to present their project at the RISE Challenge Summit and compete for prize money.
Students learn how to increase resilience to natural hazards where they live. Along the way, they work with community members to understand context and develop solutions to problems they see. The end result? They make their communities stronger, safer, and more prepared to deal with those hazards.
