Youth Voices Shape Sea Level Rise Solutions in Kennebunkport
Project Summary
After severe January 2024 storms and flooding hit Maine, Kennebunk High School students partnered with the Kennebunkport Town Manager and Town Planner on youth-led community conversations about sea level rise, funded by the state alongside TCI and other partners.
Detailed Story
Following the severe January 2024 storms and flooding events that struck Maine, TCI and several partners received state funding to host youth-led community conversations addressing sea level rise. Students from Kennebunk High School worked directly with the Kennebunkport Town Manager and Town Planner on a series of community conversations, moving beyond simply learning about the issue and into active solution-seeking. Students spoke directly with community members and business owners about their concerns, gathering public input that the town incorporated into its own planning and mitigation conversations. At the culminating event in June, one student sat on an expert panel alongside a sitting state legislator and a Select Board member, fielding community questions about proposed solutions as a full panelist rather than an audience member.
Impact Statement
Students gathered public input that directly informed the town’s sea level rise planning and mitigation conversations, and one student sat as a full panelist alongside a state legislator and Select Board member at the culminating public event. As a result, Kennebunkport’s Climate Action Team — the body overseeing the town’s Climate Action Plan — is now looking to bring youth onto the committee based on what they saw these students accomplish.
