Developing youth-centered solutions to expand fire capacity.
Research
Young people are the future of fire resilience and stewardship.
We are the backbone of efforts to diversify and expand the fire world’s capacity, and pass knowledge and practices to new leaders. However, many workforces struggle to engage and sustain our generation at scale in fire resilience and stewardship efforts. Our research reimagines how to mobilize young people in the fire world, by focusing on our generation’s own motivations and needs.
Our Plan
Conducting surveys and interviews, we will investigate the barriers, preferences, and visions of younger generations for involvement in fire resilience and stewardship.
Our research expands on existing knowledge and practice in three important ways:
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We gather young people’s interest in a broad range of capacities, including fire management, community resilience, and eco-cultural restoration.
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We look to include perspectives other than just established fire personnel. To better understand our workforce issues, we must seek out the perspectives of diverse young people who are considering involvement, not yet involved, or in early career stages of fire resilience work. Our focus emphasizes and centers underrepresented demographics and frontline communities.
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Our research draws from principles of participatory action and anti-colonial research, including Indigenous and community-based guidance to envision and implement our project. We are committed to advocate for recommendations and solutions that arise in this process.
Our Results
Our research team will develop reports and presentations for community-based organizations, fire agencies, and the broader public as an effort to improve workforce policies and resource allocation in ways that best support and scale up the fire resilience and the involvement of young generations.
A pillar of our process is accountability to our community partners — collaborating is an ongoing and necessary effort to advance the knowledge created, and to uplift visions and preferences of young people.