Leading with Equity in Adaptation Practice Program
ASAP and HARC Bring Houston Community Leaders and Climate Adaptation Professionals Together for LEAP Kick-Off Event
On June 22, teams from the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (“ASAP”) and the Houston Advanced Research Center (“HARC”) met in Houston to officially kick-off the Leading with Equity in Adaptation Practice (LEAP) Program.
Equitable and effective climate change adaptation and climate resilience projects are community-owned, center local priorities, and are guided by residents’ lived experience.
Through the Leading with Equity in Adaptation Practice (LEAP) Program, ASAP is partnering with Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) to recruit, train, and support teams of community leaders and climate adaptation practitioners as they implement community-led adaptation projects together.
- LEAP is an opportunity for us to dig deep in the Gulf Coast, a region that will greatly benefit from increased adaptation action and is home to close to 10 percent of the ASAP membership.
- LEAP advances ASAP’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion commitments by supporting relationships and collaboration between the adaptation practitioners in our network and leaders in environmental justice communities doing adaptation work on the ground.
- LEAP is an opportunity for ASAP to apply resources we have built together as a network over the past several years, including the Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation, Resilience Dialogues program resources, and Local and Regional Hubs program resources.
Contact ASAP's Acting Director, Rachel Jacobson (rjacobson@adaptpros.org), to learn more.
During the Program Kickoff Event (June 2023), participants had an opportunity to:
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Meet and build relationships with fellow participants and project staff.
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Gain knowledge of the structure, benefits, and expectations for the LEAP program.
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Participate in a training on the Principles of Quality Climate Change Adaptation.
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Participate in training on Approaching Climate Change Adaptation through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (for Climate Adaptation Practitioners) or Making Climate Adaptation Work for Your Community (for Community Leaders).
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Learn about Upper Gulf Coast-specific adaptation planning and data resources, including Resilience Science Information Network.
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Connect and collaborate with your Community Team and explore the dialogue, planning, and action you may undertake together.
During the Team Building and Team Dialogue phase (July-Sep 2023), Community Teams collaborate to:
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Define a set of questions to drive climate resilience planning and action in the community.
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Identify and characterize climate risks in the context of local trends.
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Frame localized, culturally relevant ways to think about climate change resilience and adaptation strategies.
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Identify and scope a project to address climate risks and community priorities.
During the Action Phase (Fall 2023-Summer 2024), Community Teams will implement a project in the community. Teams will receive ongoing support including:
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Regular check-ins with other teams and program staff.
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Support identifying resources and strategies for climate resilience planning and action.
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Support for exploring available resources and potential funding and finance opportunities to expand project impacts.
Participants will join a final Celebratory Event (Fall 2024) to share results and celebrate accomplishments with other LEAP teams and the broader community across the region and across the climate change field.
Get Involved
We have recruited volunteer adaptation practitioners who want to share their expertise and provide technical assistance to build stronger, more resilient communities. Volunteers will join Community Teams throughout the Upper Gulf Coast working on community-led climate adaptation planning and action.
Community Teams will be located in frontline communities across the 9-county region of the Texas Upper Gulf Coast (Montgomery, Waller, Harris, Liberty, Jefferson, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, and Brazoria counties).
Volunteering in the LEAP program is an opportunity to grow as a climate change adaptation professional and expand your network! You will:
- Build the skills, knowledge, and experience to ensure your climate change adaptation practice supports just, equitable, community-defined outcomes.
- Gain feedback to help your climate resilience products and services maximally support community-led climate change adaptation projects.
- Build relationships with community leaders and community-based organizations, opening doors for potential future partnership and collaboration.
Volunteers will join a one-day kickoff meeting (in person or virtually) the week of June 19, 2023; engage an average of 2-4 hours/month in LEAP meetings and project implementation activities between July 2023-Fall 2024; and join a ½ day program celebration in Fall 2024.
Thank You to Our Partners and Funders!
Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC): HARC provides independent analysis on energy, air, and water issues to people seeking scientific answers and operates as a research hub finding solutions for a sustainable future.
National Academies of Science Gulf Research Program: In supporting a safer, more resilient, and sustainable future for the Gulf and all those who call the region home, the Gulf Research Program uses science, engineering, and medical knowledge to empower its citizens and to enhance Gulf Offshore Energy Safety, Gulf Environmental Protection and Stewardship, and Gulf Health and Resilience.