What is a community?

We can think about community as the set of shared experiences and relationships between people. A community may form through a location or place, such as a neighborhood, city, or school. It can also be based on a shared characteristic, such as culture, religion, or a common interest. Through communities, people can support one another and work towards common goals.

How can a community build resilience to climate change?

A climate-resilient community supports the wellbeing and health of its members, addressing their challenges ranging from everyday difficulties to extreme events. When a major disruption occurs, such as a natural disaster, a resilient community recovers and adapts to change faster than a community that is not prepared to withstand these stresses. Members of a climate-resilient community develop creative ways to take care of one another, respond to challenges together, and improve the quality of life for all members.

A climate-resilient community is built upon strong relationships that foster trust, cooperation, and a sense of belonging. A strong network of relationships can help members access resources and offer support to those who are vulnerable. Through being well-connected, members can share and receive information that is easy to understand, inclusive, and culturally relevant. Additionally, local knowledge and education build resilience within a community and empower members to respond positively. Members who understand the challenges and opportunities in their community can collectively identify problems, make decisions, and work towards solutions. Another notable element of climate-resilient communities is preparedness. Leveraging their relationships and social support systems, resilient communities proactively develop responses to the current and future impacts of climate change.

• Many of us participate in multiple communities. What communities do you identify with?
• What are some of the strengths of my communities?
• What are some climate-related challenges that my communities face?
• What impacts of climate change have I experienced?
• How do I support members of my community through these challenges?

Your short-film will be scored based on the following criteria:

• How well the short-film addresses the prompt
• How clearly and creatively your short-film presents a solution
• Extra points will be given for solutions that can be implemented widely and receive broad community support.

The technical quality of your submission will not be judged. In other words, fancy cameras and editing software are not necessary to produce a great short-film.

Short-films that use copyrighted media without permission and/or attribution will be disqualified.

Yes! Please add subtitles in English so that the English-speaking judging committee and audiences can fully enjoy your short-film. You can add closed captioning when you upload your submission to a video platform (YouTube Guide).

You are encouraged to explore different approaches to telling your story. Examples of acceptable video formats include:

• Live action
• Animation
• Stop-motion film
• Music video

Award winners will be notified by email by July 2021. The award-winning submissions will be posted to the EmPower Silicon Valley website.

If you do not own the image, video, or audio, you must obtain permission from the owner or creator of the media to use it in your film. Unfortunately, you cannot use copyrighted music without receiving permission first.

However, you do not need to ask for permission to use media in the Public Domain. Additionally, you may be able to use media with a Creative Commons license. We recommend checking out this guide with information on finding and properly attributing Public Domain and Creative Commons material for your short-film.