Heat in Schools
Addressing the heat in schools: Climate change adaptation using community-based research (2025-2026)
This community-based research project seeks to identify priorities and interventions to combat high classroom temperatures in three vulnerable Montreal neighborhoods: Montreal-Nord, Parc-Ex, and Hochelaga Maisonneuve. The project will mobilize diverse local actors through the creation of community research boards (CRBs) in each neighborhood, composed of 10-15 members, including leaders, community organizations, school representatives, and residents. The project will follow a Human-Centered Design (HCD) process with CRBs leading three main phases:
Exploratory Workshops: CRBs will identify community priorities and knowledge gaps by reviewing existing data on heat-related impacts.
Research Prioritization: CRBs will determine research priorities and activities using ideation strategies and insights from focus group discussions.
Strategic Planning: CRBs will develop final proposals for research implementation, addressing recruitment, communication strategies, and potential barriers.
This project will empower communities to identify local priorities and gaps in heat-related climate change research in school settings, fostering climate resilience and justice. Collaborating with local partners, these communities will develop and test interventions in future climate change projects.
We are recruiting!
Are you concerned by extreme heat in schools of Parc Ex or Montreal-North?
We are looking for different types of community members to discuss this issue and identify possible solutions. For more information on eligibility and expectations, or to complete our interest form, please click here.
For questions about participating in this study, please contact our team for more information:
(438) 806-6166
jeunes4climat@gmail.com
Funding by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Investigators and collaborators: Sasha Dyck, David Kaiser, Isabelle Doré, Marie-Catherine Gagnon-Dufresne, Sherilee Harper, Rodney Knight, Danielle Labbé.
Research team: Adrien Saucier, Margot Barbosa Da Torre, Laura Pierce.
Header photo by Zachary Keimig on Unsplash.