Climate change is a hot topic on college campuses. But when Audrey-Rose Sevaaetasi started school in North Carolina, she felt few students could relate to her perspective on the problem.
As a Pacific Native Islander from American Samoa, rising sea levels and increasing storms are pressing issues, and she struggles to find people who understand her experience.
Sevaaetasi: “There weren’t a lot of Pacific Islanders… or other First Nations people… out there, so it was hard to agree with a lot of people. … When I talk about climate change, they don’t really understand what I’m thinking.
So Sevaaetasi is grateful for the Indigenous Youth Climate Adaptation Leadership Conference held every summer in West Virginia.
She started out as a high school student and is now a junior faculty member.
Participants attend workshops and meet other Indigenous youth who care about the climate.
Sevaaetasi: “Being with other Aboriginal tribes and Aboriginal communities, you can really put down roots and get comfortable with understanding different communities. … Exchanging ideas with each other is really beneficial.
So she said it was a great opportunity to connect and collaborate.
Report source: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media
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