IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series: Protecting Environmental Resources

WATCH THE RECORDING HERE

Through the IVLP Impact Awards Initiative, recent alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program administer community impact projects that bring the experiences of their exchange program home to their communities and promote innovative solutions to shared global challenges. 

On Tuesday April 30, 2024 Meridian International Center hosted a virtual panel of IVLP Impact Awardees with projects that address climate change and environmental protection. The panel was moderated by Patricia Kombo (Kenya) and featured panelists Luis Henao Murcia (Colombia), Imelda Abano (Philippines) and Nikola Krstić (Serbia). The Awardees discussed their IVLP Impact Awards projects, how their IVLP exchange program experience influenced their ideas and work, and the ways they are engaging their communities to bring about action to protect the environment in the face of climate change. 

"Another incredible thing I was able to see throughout our IVLP project: everyone has a solution. No matter their age, no matter their level of education, [everyone] can actually be champions of solving [the] climate crisis" - Patricia Kombo

Some of the top takeaways from the discussion were:

1. IVLP Exchange Inspiration

Patricia, Nikola, Imelda, and Luis participated in the IVLP Project The Climate Crisis: Working Together for Future Generations, organized by Meridian International Center. Despite the shared topic, each participant shared their unique perspectives on which cities and interactions inspired them the most. Patricia mentioned her visit to Salt Lake City and her interactions with the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah, sharing her surprise upon seeing that "research was heavily funded and mainstreamed in all sectors of the curriculum," and how students were able to take on a real role in problem-solving, rather than leaving things to the experts. She also shared about her visit to Portland Oregon and the inspirational meeting with "Project Zero," as part of Portland General Electric, which underlined the importance of taking responsibility as citizens. Imelda shared similar takeaways from her time in the San Francisco Bay area, where she drew inspiration from a visit to Muir Woods and meetings with the Save The Redwoods League, the Rainforest Action Network, and Stanford University. For his part, Nikola shared, “It was especially important for me to get to know people in local governments because I am from the local government [in a] small city; to understand how the system works and what I can apply in my city.” He specifically mentioned the engaging meeting with former Burlington, Vermont Mayor Peter Clavelle. Luis spoke about IVLP as a sort of childhood dream-come-true: "I remember when I was little, I was maybe seven, I picked up a newspaper and there was a photo of New York, and I said, ‘One day I’ll be there, one day I’ll go to the United States, that would be fantastic!"

2. Community Engagement Strategies

When answering an audience member's question about how he deals with climate change deniers, Luis responded by explaining his "show, don't tell" engagement strategy for gaining community buy-in: “More than spending time trying to say that it exists [we can just] show that it's happening. In our country, in our Amazon area, we’ve started to see climate variability and... it’s just enough with the facts that we’re living in…to try and say ‘it’s not what I believe, it’s not what the press says, it’s not what the world leaders are saying or what the activists are talking about, but rather it’s the reality that we’re living in." Imelda agreed adding "It really needs leadership, determination and of course a strong strategy. So, I think in my case the solutions journalism may allow news organizations and journalists to communicate climate change…dangers without depressing support for social action and of course, to mitigate [climate change] effects.” Nikola spoke about the need for media engagement as well, and his goals to bring the issues home to the community, explaining, “We try to involve the people in our project process, in our public debates, because everything we do, we do for [the] people…we are fighting for us: for our families and for clean air, not for some big political issues and topics.”

3. Shared Challenges and Successes 

All of the panelists discussed the challenges associated with this topic in their various communities: for Imelda, this means navigating the complexities of climate change's impacts in diverse regions and training journalists to clearly explain this to the public. Luis and Nikola mentioned the exhaustion of continually explaining the issues to the public and facing challenges from unstable political situations that impact their daily work. Nikola also discussed the issue of lithium mining, calling it a "potential environmental bomb" which is proposed in his area. He explained "While I agree that the electric car market should be developed, we need to be careful with the how and where we mine lithium, especially in countries with weak institutions." Both Luis and Patricia's projects worked with schools, and they each shared the initial skepticism from the community and school leadership that their efforts would lead to actual results.

Despite these and many other challenges, the panelists shared inspiring success stories from their projects. For example, additional schools requested similar programming from Patricia and Luis in their respective communities after seeing the impressive impacts they achieved with their partner schools. Patricia shared, "Watching the young kids actually get vegetables, (fresh vegetables, organic vegetables) from their farm and enjoying a decent meal...that was one of the biggest successes. And also hearing the learners say 'Wow! I never saw this potential of the land' because the majority just thought it was soil, that when it gets wet it makes them dirty, but...seeing a generation that is [now] aware of solutions...they can use in their communities, take to their homes...it was a huge success." Imelda spoke about the "cascading of skills" as the journalists she trained have begun to train other reporters in their organizations, thereby spreading the impact of the project beyond her workshops. Nikola and Imelda mentioned how their projects helped strengthen their collaborative links and trust with experts and the community, which is critical to both high quality reporting and effective community activism.

4. Advice for Climate Activists

In closing, the panelists shared their advice to other climate activists worldwide. Luis encouraged the audience to “Just take action: what we contribute as people, as professionals, as business leaders, as activists it makes a difference, it counts. We don’t need to resolve all the problems alone. We just need to take hold of one and work on that.” Imelda recommended "collaboration and networking with civil society groups, NGOs, climate experts, and even policymakers. And, of course, the youth and indigenous peoples" to broaden a project's reach. Nikola said simply, "The best advice I can give is to never give up and always keep fighting!" and Patricia closed the session with gratitude for the other panelist's time and expertise and a call to action: "Let us scale-up. Let us bring more people on board... Let us raise awareness because Mother Nature is our home."

"I'm very pleased to hear what all of our friends, our climate guardians are doing for the planet. It inspires and motivates me to continue contributing my grain of sand [to the solution]" - Luis Henao Murcia

If you have any questions, please reach out to the IVLP Impact Awards Team at IVLPImpactAwards@meridian.org.

If interested in attending more IVLP Impact Award events, click here.