HEAT Action Day

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Brief Overview  

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, longer, hotter and deadlier due to the climate crisis. Heat Action Day (HAD) 2025 is set to be held on Monday, June 2nd, 2025 and is a global event hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).  

Being involved in Heat Action Day is a great opportunity for a Red Cross Club to engage with other National Societies across the world!  

Get Involved:  

  1. Listen to the recorded Heat Action Day Information Session here !
  2. Review this guide and determine an action that best fits your local region and Red Cross Club focusing on recognizing heat exhaustion and heat stroke.     
    1. This truly is a “choose your own adventure” type of international engagement!   
  3. Register your project for HAD to receive updated information from the IFRC team and be a part of the global impact.  
  4. Check the IFRC Heat Action Day website for any updates.  

Purpose

Heat Action Day is a global event that seeks to engage hundreds of Red Cross and Red Crescent branches, cities, and other organizations around the world, to raise public awareness about the rising risks associated with extreme heat and inspire simple actions to prevent impacts through a coordinated day of action. 

The 2025 theme is focused around recognizing heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  We invite participants to be creative in engaging your local community in demonstrating how to recognize the symptoms, and what to do to help.  

 

How to Get Started

Step 1: Set Clear Goals and Objectives

   • Choose your Heat Actions by reviewing the activities outlined below. Decide which activity you would like to participate in based on time and resources available.

    • “Light” (no/low resources, little preparation needed)  

   • Get your main local monument, tower, bridge lit up orange for Heat Action Day 

   • Share key messages on extreme heat social media 

   • Showcase a previous heat event including its impacts, response, vulnerable groups on social media  

   • Promote the collaborative Project Book in advance of HAD, to be launched on June 2nd  

   • “Medium” (medium resources required, start preparing activities 3-4 weeks in advance, no to little budget required)  

   • Organize a workshop to evaluate a previous heat event to improve preparedness - internally or with partners  

   • Organize creative events to demonstrate how to recognize heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Brainstorm, as a group, activities that could be possible fun and creative ways to educate others on this topic. For example, a heat safety simulation or a trivia game focused on identifying symptoms and appropriate responses.  

   • Organize a public heat awareness campaign focused on heat exhaustion/heat stroke, e.g. visiting a school, door-to-door, setting up a cooling station with educational resources in main square 

   • Interview local experts (e.g. doctor, public health expert, etc.) on heat impacts on public health – for TV, radio, or social media  

   • “High” (high resources required, start preparing activities 4-6 weeks in advance)

   • Organize a community heat mapping exercise  

   • Organize a public event with music or dance, e.g. flash mob 

   • Define your desired outcomes for the activity and create measurable goals and objectives to guide the planning process (e.g., number of event attendees, number of educational materials distributed, etc.) 

   • We encourage you to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into your activity and be creative with your approaches. 

 

Step 2: Plan the Details

   • Build Your HAD team of staff/volunteers: gather your colleagues and volunteers to form a dynamic HAD team ready to take action. 

   • Budget Planning: if needed, identify your own resources for your HAD initiatives (no central budget is available for HAD projects).  

   • Reach out to local businesses or community organizations for sponsorships or donations.  

   • Organize a small fundraiser to support your initiative. Refer to the Team Red Cross Fundraising Toolkit for more information. 

 

Step 3: Prepare for the Activity

   • Attend the HAD “information sessions” for information, inspiration, and guidance on how to prepare or view the recordings.   

   • Craft your compelling key messages to share before and during HAD: develop powerful heat messages using our guidance tailored to/translated into your local language(s), resonating with your community. 

   • These resources may be used to help you develop clear, engaging, and impactful messaging for your Heat Action Day (HAD) initiatives:  

   • Join our Trello board with all templates for promotional materials, such as posters, flyers, and social media graphics.  

   • Check out our Heat Toolkit for more campaign materials. 

   •  Connect and Collaborate: Reach out to a wide variety of partners, city networks, and local Red Cross/Crescent National Societies and Branches to amplify your impact and plan your heat actions together.  

   • Do this by joining the Head Action Day WhatsApp group to connect with other Red Crossers around the world. 

 

   •  Register for HAD and let us know your plans! Be sure to create a measurable goal for yourself and/or your group and keep record of what you accomplished to share with others later! 

   • Register for HAD to receive updated information from the IFRC team and be a part of the global impact. 

   • Check the IFRC Heat Action Day website for any updates.   

 

Step 4: Facilitate the Activity 

   •  Execute and Share: Take action on your plans and share your activities on social media 

   • Tag @americanredcrossyouth on Instagram and use the hashtags #BeattheHeat, #HeatActionDay2025, and #HAD2025! 

   • Share Your HAD Plans with us and the world: let us know your strategies and ideas for HAD. Together, we can make a difference! 

 

Step 5: Debrief and Thank Your Volunteers

   • Measure Impact: Help us measure the impact of your activity by reporting what you accomplished in the follow-up survey that the Climate Centre team will send out to all those who registered.

  • Invite participants to discuss their experiences and capture lessons learned.

  • Thank everyone who contributed and participated.

  • Remind volunteers to record their hours through Volunteer Connection. 

 

Our ideas for heat actions: