Empowering Youth for Nature-Based Flood Management: World Wildlife Fund's Flood Green Guide Youth Champions Program

In episode 194 of America Adapts, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) returns to continue the 'Flood Green Guide' series focused on nature based approaches to flood risk management. This is a follow up to the episodes from 2018 published shortly after the release of their "Natural and Nature Based Flood Management: A Green Guide, better known now around the world as the Flood Green Guide. In the intervening years, despite setbacks by the pandemic, WWF has been busy doing trainings on the flood green guide and in this episode, we're exploring how WWF engages youth in flood risk and management. We'll hear from young individuals worldwide, sharing their experiences with flooding and their thoughts on nature-based approaches to flood risk management and the importance of art, science, and engaging communities. We'll discuss why WWF is launching a new Flood Green Guide Youth Champion initiative, the importance of including youth in flood risk reduction strategies and some of the barriers young leaders face while trying to make meaningful change. And we'll hear from a group of young professionals who traveled to Sri Lanka to work with the WWF team to design the Flood green guide youth champions initiative from the ground up.

The episode was generously sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.

Donate to America Adapts Experts interviewed (in order of appearance):

• Anita Van Breda - Senior Director, Environment and Disaster Management, World Wildlife Fund
• Luz Cervantes - Senior Program Officer for the Environment and Disaster Management, World Wildlife Fund
• Barrise Griffin - Expert in disaster risk management and development in the Bahamas
• David Urueña - Geologist based in Colombia
• Misaki Daniel - Founder and Executive Director at the Ihandiro Youth Advocates for Nature-IYAN
• Manon Ebel – Technical Advisor, Climate Policy & Youth, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
• Samuel Shores - Graduate Student, University of North Carolina Wilmington Benthic Ecology Lab

Previous America Adapts episodes focusing on the Flood Green Guide.

Flooding and Natural and Nature-Based Solutions https://www.americaadapts.org/episodes/2018/10/6/flooding-and-natural-and-nature-based-solutions

Flooding, Climate Change, and Art https://www.americaadapts.org/episodes/2018/11/19/flooding-climate-change-and-art

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Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/americaadapts/ @usaadapts https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-parsons-america-adapts/ Links in this episode: FGG website page https://envirodm.org/flood-management/

FGG Youth Champions program page https://envirodm.org/pilot-youth-program-2023/

FGG Youth Champions story https://envirodm.org/resource/young-leaders-inspire-a-global-youth-movement-to-tame-flooding-impacts-in-their-communities/

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