Earth Force
The Environmental Education Association of Illinois is excited to be the host for Earth Force Illinois. In this program, student/educator groups (in both school and afterschool settings) use the Earth Force process to research and identify environmental issues and work to address them with community partners. Earth Force Illinois works to enact Environmental Applied Civics where these youth-led teams work on projects they are passionate about and ask for change from stakeholders in their communities
Past participants have addressed invasive species, light pollution, litter and other waste, flooding and water quality, and more!
If you are interested in learning more about Earth Force Illinois and might be interested in starting a group at your school or organization reach out to Brekke Bounds at ed@eeai.net.
RISE Challenge Illinois
At this point the RISE program is not scheduled to continue in the 26/27 school year. We invite all interested parties to join us in the Earth Force Program.
The Environmental Education Association of Illinois teamed up with Earth Force, and the Association of State Floodplain Managers Foundation, to create RISE Challenge Illinois and offer it to Illinois educators, both formal and non-formal, and students in grades 5-12. This program takes the Earth Force process and applies it to natural hazards threatening local communities while empowering youth to make a big impact. RISE Challenge groups work in and with their communities, get feedback from subject experts, and present their work at the annual RISE summit – where they compete for prizes!
Past participants have worked with their communities to address flooding, invasive species, air quality, and more! Click here to see videos of some of the projects from the 22/23 school year!