WRITTEN BY SHUVAJIT PAYNE & DR MONALISA PADHEE
“Humare yahan do saal se sahi se fasal nahi hui hai” (for two years, we haven’t had a good crop haul), “ kabhi bhi barish aa rahi hai aaj kal” (untimely rains have been very common), “itni garmi aaj tak nahi hui hai sare talab sukh gayi hai ” (it's never been so hot, even ponds have dried), - this is what we hear in our community meetings. However, every project manager of Bindi International, all of whom hail from these communities itself, tell us that the community members seldom connect these issues to climate change. For them, climate change is a foreign phenomenon or big English word which has no relevance in their day-to-day life. Even if the communities do get the connection, they feel “hum karenge hi kya’ (even if this is a problem, what are we to do?).
This just points out how distant the rural community feels the global discourse on climate change and its pressing urgency is from them. Why won’t it be so? Any content or communication around these issues often only project the voices of urban professionals, scientists, and highly qualified policymakers. While the voices of all stakeholders are important, skewed representation of only few social segments deepens the alienation of the climate change fight from the most vulnerable communities, who have no reason to care for the melting polar caps, the forest fires of other continents, or even the flash floods of another state. These phenomena are too far and unrelatable for them - it’s not their problem.
Of course, that’s not how it is!
Project Manager of Bindi International interacting with community members.
Including the large populace of rural communities in the climate fight, is not just a matter of diversity; it is a necessity for crafting comprehensive and effective solutions. The need of the hour is to address three dimensions of this layered issue:
MAKING THIS GLOBAL CHALLENGE LOCALLY RELEVANt
Rural communities are frequently on the front lines of climate change and yet, till disaster strikes the experience of the direct impacts (such as altered agricultural patterns, water scarcity, and increased frequency of extreme weather events) are subtle and need one to acutely observe. This strongly suggests that we need our discourse to be more locally contextualized to the tangible realities that a region’s youth grow up in. Their first-hand experiences with these challenges enable them to identify practical, context-specific solutions that might be overlooked by those who are not as intimately connected to the land.
UNDERSTANDING THE DEEP IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON LIFE
More invisible are the indirect impacts of climate change arising out of the intersectionality of the problem with gender discrimination, social justice issues, nature of livelihood and more. Youth today, need to go beyond the academic discourse of ‘paryavaran’ which equates the environment problem to soil, water, air, flora and fauna only, to understanding its relationship with human life, and rights. Incidentally, local wisdom often has a lot of such learning embedded in local literature, folklore and practices. It is essential to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions such local wisdom can append to the global issue.
VOCALIZING BURNING ISSUES IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE MANNER
Once the youth can see how their future is directly and indirectly affected by the climate fight, the alienation is bridged. The next layer is to equip these individuals with the necessary vocabulary and access to platforms that make their voices and demands comprehensible in a global platform. By including rural youth in climate change discussions, we gain access to a wealth of local knowledge and innovative ideas that can lead to more effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. It also opens up avenues in which the discourse on climate change is communicated in more democratic ways - for example, in project areas of Bindi International itself, folk songs articulating issues and the solutions around climate-induced health risks have been quite effective in promoting health seeking behaviour in remote communities. Such an inclusive approach will bring a qualified climate researcher, a policy maker and a youth from a rural community to the same platform to engage in meaningful discussion around climate change.
Our young climate leaders are engaging with government officials and advocating for their climate-related demands.
GETTING ONE USED TO LEADERSHIP AND ACTION
Mitigating the climate crisis, even regionally is no mean feat. It is a long-term process that must involve multiple stakeholders. To persist in such a process, the actors need to have agency, be used to taking initiative towards problem solving and more than anything, must believe that it is in their capacity to make a difference. For this, the need of the hour is to instill confidence in the youth and present a narrative where they are not disheartened by a doomsday situation but feel that their efforts can have a significant impact in slowing are down climate change and reversing some of its effects.
World Nature Conservation Day celebration at government school
Involving rural youth in climate change
Initiatives empowers them to become proactive environmental stewards. When young people see that their voices are heard and valued, they are more likely to take ownership of local and global environmental issues. This sense of ownership can drive grassroots initiatives, fostering a culture of sustainability within their communities.
THREE STEPPED APPROACHES
Bindi International in collaboration with ReNew Foundation has been implementing the Climate Leadership Curriculum (YCLC) which is an attempt to address all of these dimensions with a unique 3 stepped approach
THINK
Our curriculum makes the entire climate conversation locally relevant with examples of local incidents, role models and solutions. It complements the state curriculum on environment studies. It promotes critical thinking in the young learners, connecting the global phenomenon to local lived realities.
SPEAK
The YCLC curriculum also encourages the young learners to speak up on these issues and how their lives are affected, debating on the multiple dimensions of this challenge, linking to local solutions and developing valuable insights.
ACT
The curriculum includes an action component whereby the learners gain leadership by planning and rolling out positive community action initiatives.
Our Climate Fellows taking climate classes.
With the curriculum at its pilot stage, we are reaching out to more than 5000 students across 75 government schools in remote communities across Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka. This curriculum is being delivered by Climate Fellows, who are youth from these communities. These fellows are trained to effectively deliver the curriculum and support its localization to make it more relevant to the students' immediate environment and experiences. Our approach involves the formation of climate clubs in each school, led by climate leaders. These leaders are actively engaged in climate-related discussions and actions, helping to drive awareness and initiatives within their schools and communities. The climate leaders and fellows also organize school-level advocacy meets. These events bring together school principals, teachers, School Management Committee (SMC) members, panchayat members, and block and district-level local government representatives.
During these advocacy meets, climate leaders share their concerns, local issues, and potential solutions, fostering meaningful dialogues with key stakeholders. Some of the noteworthy initiatives proposed by these leaders include "Plastic Free Gadag," "Best from Waste," and "वर्षा जल संरक्षण" (Rainwater Conservation). These initiatives aim to address pressing environmental challenges and seek the support of various stakeholders for successful implementation.
The vision behind this initiative is to create a generation that is conscious of how climate change affects them directly and at the same time are equipped with essential skills and knowledge to be involved in climate positive actions. For example, training in sustainable farming practices, renewable energy technologies, and conservation techniques equips young people with the tools they need to implement eco-friendly practices in their own lives and communities. Moreover, these initiatives can create new economic opportunities, helping to combat rural poverty and unemployment while promoting environmental sustainability.
This fight against climate change cannot be fought alone. We actively seek partners, supporters, and guides to help us localize and contextualize our curriculum further. Our goal is to ensure that the voices of the youth from the most remote communities are heard at the same tables where climate-related discussions and decisions take place.