Everything Growing Green Leaders delivers: goals, contest structure, timeline, and how every division is judged and awarded.
Lessons 1–3 as the core, no-cost climate curriculum across participating high school classrooms, post-secondary programs, and Rotary youth — with the ability to offer standards-aligned climate curriculum to every participating classroom through Learning Lab at no cost.
Integrate Interact Clubs within the High School Division and Rotaract Clubs within the Post-Secondary Division as primary participant groups, with youth outside of these clubs also able and encouraged to participate.
Connect local Rotary Clubs directly to participating Interact and Rotaract groups to serve as project mentors, community advisors, and local supporters.
CAVU's 2-lesson video toolkit at no cost so participants can effectively communicate their local solutions.
Offer high school video entrants an immediate pathway to local implementation through TCI's Changemaker Award: Student Edition; winners receive monetary prizes.
A public, media-covered celebration of student climate leadership and green entrepreneurship on Earth Day, April 22, 2027 — and a documented, repeatable model the coalition can grow every year.
Organized by grade so every age group has an entry point matched to its skill level, using existing free national programs wherever possible.
CAVU Judged Climate Innovation Challenge
Format: Students produce an original video (4 minutes or less) proposing a community-based climate solution.
Educational pathway: Lessons 1–3 (TCI CALP foundation) developed in collaboration with Rotarian John Mathers to build climate literacy, analyze local impacts, and design community solutions; Lessons 4–5 (CAVU Media Toolkit), technical lessons on storyboarding, storytelling, and video production.
Rotary activation and mentorship: Sponsoring local Rotary Clubs serve as project mentors and advisors, while Interact clubs and HS participants serve as built-in peer recruitment channels and student project teams.
Judging: Judged under CAVU's High School Video Competition, focused on creative media storytelling, youth perspective, and solution feasibility. Recognition: To be determined by region.
Action Bridge — TCI Changemaker Award, Student Edition: An optional extra competition pathway for High School Video participants who want to take their proposed project off the screen and execute it in their local community. High schoolers submit an implementation plan directly to TCI to receive grant funding, technical assistance, and direct TCI mentorship to bring their local solution to life.
TCI/RCAT Judged
Format: Advanced climate action proposals and storytelling showcase for post-secondary youth, college students, young professionals, and Rotaract members 18+.
Educational pathway: TCI CALP framework, plus optional CAVU storytelling toolkit.
Rotary activation and mentorship: Local Rotary Clubs provide professional mentorship and community connections, with Rotaract Clubs serving as key participant networks.
Judging: Judged directly by The Climate Initiative (TCI) and Rotary Climate Action Team (RCAT) Joint Panel, focused on project completion, local impact, and measurable sustainability and scalability.
Top prizes and recognition: Presentation at Environmental Xperience conferences worldwide, depending on region.
Program brand and website launch; sponsor recruitment begins.
Educator training webinars on The Climate Initiative's Learning Lab and CAVU's CIC curriculum; Rotary clubs adopt participating schools.
Students move through the 5-lesson pipeline in participating classrooms and clubs.
All division entries submitted for review.
Panels drawn from the coalition review every division.
Student finalists exhibited at Environmental Xperience events in the United States.
Winners announced across all divisions in a public, media-covered celebration.
Each division is judged by a panel with at least one representative from the U.S. Green Chamber, Rotary, and the relevant curriculum partner (The Climate Initiative or CAVU). CAVU and The Climate Initiative also retain their own national judging processes for their respective competitions.
Cash prizes and/or scholarship awards; a CALP training scholarship from The Climate Initiative; feature coverage with Media Partners.
U.S. Green Chamber sustainability certification; mentorship or internship placement with a Green Chamber member business; Media Partners feature.
Register as a student, an educator, or an Interact/Rotaract club today.