EarthX Launches Youth Initiatives

DALLAS, October 27, 2020 /3BL Media/ - EarthX is launching youth initiatives starting this fall — from environmental curriculums and virtual field trips, to eco-competitions and immersive experiences — with an aim to enrich and inspire the next generation of global citizens. Students and teachers are invited to explore resources and participate in activities designed to integrate with virtual education programs across the country.

Environmental Curriculum & Lesson Plans | EarthxEDU offers STEAM learning for the K-12 virtual or in-person classroom to facilitate a deeper understanding of environmental concepts and to nurture students’ growth into responsible citizen scientists. The curriculum is focused in four areas — Earth, Energy, Cities, and Climate; all of which are free to educators and parents.

The Teacher Resource Library includes individual lessons and units of study searchable by age and environmental topic. All lessons are aligned with National Learning Standards and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

Virtual Field Trips | Field trips, launching in January, will complement lessons. Each trip will include six to ten minutes of highly engaging content, along with short lesson plans with Next Gen Science Standards and guiding questions. Field trips will launch with six videos, adding six to seven more each month through April.

Youth Competitions | EarthX will furthermore engage students through creative competitions, starting with the Planet 911 Youth Film Challenge. In partnership with Creative Visions, EarthxFilm invites filmmakers ages ten to 22 to create a 50-second film to wake up the world. Films will focus on Environmental Justice — entry deadline December 1, 2020

Finalists will be showcased at EarthxFilm and EarthxTV, and winners will be awarded up to $1,000 each, with $12,000 total in cash prizes. The school and youth organization with the most entries will receive a $1000 cash prize and several impact grants will be offered, based on the stories as featured.

EarthX also announces its Eco-Art Contest, calling upon students ages five to 22 to create artwork that inspires sustainable action. Artwork can be any 2-D or 3-D piece addressing the theme No Time to Waste, coupled with a 300-or-less word Impact Essay describing the piece’s relation to the contest theme.

The entry deadline is Wednesday, January 25, 2021. Finalists will be displayed at EXPO Earthx2021. First and second place winners receive cash prizes based on their age group, ranging from $125 to $1500. Winners will be announced on April 25, 2021.

Educational Content | Planet 911 Youth Reports is a new segment of EarthxTV that will celebrate the accomplishments of young planet heroes, environmental artists, climate activists, inventors, and filmmakers. Viewers will be invited to dissect the UN Sustainable Development Goals, enjoy scenes of natural beauty, and participate in sustainability challenges.

The first Youth Reports episode premiered on Friday, September 25, 2020. Teens and young adults can get involved in future episodes by applying to be a moderator, presenting questions to elected officials during Youth Climate Town Halls, nominating Planet Heroes, submitting short videos such as simple sustainable solutions, sending in artistic creations for Creative Corner, and more.

EarthXR Wild at Home — in partnership with Wild Immersion endorsed by Jane Goodall — brings students and their teachers into the first ever virtual nature reserve. The first two 360° immersive videos are available from the African savannah. Other experiences from Asia-Oceania and the Amazon will come later this year and will all be accessible through December 20.

Work Opportunities | EarthxFilm is also offering internships focusing on the production of the EarthxFilm film festival and EarthxTV’s year-round programming. High school students earn volunteer service hours during the summer and college students gain class credit during any academic semester.

More information on youth initiatives can be found at earthx.org/education.

ABOUT EarthX

EarthX convenes the world’s largest environmental expo, conference and film festival, and is a member of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. EarthxTV, launching in Fall 2020 is a web-based platform for balanced, inclusive environmental conversations, programs, emerging media & films. Founded in 2011 by environmentalist and businessman Trammell S. Crow, the Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration and community-driven sustainable solutions.  Earthx2020 was held virtually in April and drew over 550,000 visitors worldwide. Visit www.EarthX.org or follow us @earthxorg on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.