Wildfire StoryLab

Wildfire relief

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership) East LA Central LA San Fernando Valley

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles County faces a growing climate and socio-economic crisis, with wildfires hitting low-income communities the hardest— these communities are often excluded from planning, STEM opportunities, global events and civic engagement. Government resources has not been enough to help fill this gap. As disasters continue to disproportionately impact communities of color, more more Angelenos struggle to recover, adapt, and advocate for solutions.
Data from the California Community Foundation’s (CCF) wildfire recovery efforts reinforces this inequity. Only 22% of low-income students in California meet the state’s standards for science proficiency, compared to 58% of their higher-income peers (CA Dept. of Education, 2023). Our initiative empowers marginalized groups in fire-impacted areas to become informed researchers, storytellers, citizen scientists, and advocates through hands-on training, field sampling and creative storytelling—building a more resilient future from the ground up.

The Wildfire Storylab is a yearlong STEAM-driven initiative designed to empower marginalized groups from wildfire-affected communities in Los Angeles County. The program addresses urgent gaps in wildfire recovery equity, youth economic opportunity, and access to hands-on STEAM learning by engaging youth (ages 16–22) in climate science, environmental storytelling, and civic engagement.
In collaboration with Caltech, the Altadena Rotary Club, and the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), RFM Productions will provide training, equipment, mentorship, and community-based fieldwork experiences. A key scientific partnership includes participation in the Adventure Scientists’ California Biodiversity Project, where youth fellows will:
• Collect soil samples from outdoor field sites
• Receive a free sampling kit and complete training on research methods developed in partnership with the California Institute of Biodiversity
• Conduct fieldwork and production during hikes and community adventures, then return samples via prepaid envelopes to UC-Santa Cruz (soil) and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (insects) for analysis.
This field-based component will be integrated with digital storytelling workshops, where participants transform their scientific insights and lived wildfire experiences into short films and audiovisual campaigns. Their work will be featured at a Film Festival, COP30 and in exhibits, connecting science and story to policy and community engagement.

If Wildfire Storylab achieves its goals, Los Angeles County will see stronger climate resilience, leadership, and global visibility in disaster recovery innovation. Through hands-on training in soil sampling, data analysis, digital media and civic engagement, participants will document their recovery efforts. In collaboration with Caltech, Altadena Rotary Club, Adventure Scientists and the California Institute of Biodiversity, participants will collect soil samples that support California’s 30x30 conservation goals. Their work will be featured in events and shared worldwide to inform disaster recovery policy. Select participants will present their findings at events, where the Wildfire Storylab will be showcased as a case study for global resilience, inspiring other regions facing similar wildfire and climate justice challenges. By combining equity, education, and environmental action, this project will position Los Angeles as a model for community-led recovery in a changing climate.