Sergio Cahueque / Sergio’s Blogs
Kendall Cook / Kendall’s Blogs
Aneesa Khan / Aneesa’s Blogs
Clara Mareschal / Clara’s Blogs
Augustin Martz / Augustin’s Blogs
Victor Mongay Velez / Victor’s Delegation
Michelle Pazmiño / Michelle’s Blogs
Angela Valenzuela / Angela’s Blogs
Sara Velander / Sara’s Blogs
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Kendall Cook
What are you up to these days?
Where do you work? What do you do there? What are your hobbies, new passions, new thoughts?
Employed part time as a Yoga Studio Manager, full time Mom, pursuing Midwifery Licensure.
Which international conferences did you attend during your time at COA?
UNFCCC COP21 Paris
What did you study while you were at COA?
Human ecology, yes, but with what focus/spin? What was your senior project?
Women’s Studies
Year of graduation
2017
What do you and did you think the importance is of youth involvement in international negotiations?
At the time I thought our work was hopeless as youth civil society. Now I believe it is very important to keep fighting on, despite the seemingly permanent systemic roadblocks.
What is Earth in Brackets to you?
A student-led coalition of radical environmental activists who get the job done. Changes according to the ever-flowing influx/outflux of students.
What advice would you give to young environmental justice activists?
Remember to love yourself and your fellow human beings. Don’t let the bastards get you down.
Sara Velander
What are you up to?
Communications intern at SwedBio, a knowledge interface on resilience and development at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Based in Stockholm University, (Stockholm, Sweden), I am working on web article development, social media production, and English language editing/proofreading.
Which international conferences did you attend during your time at COA?
UNFCCC COP20 in Lima UNFCCC COP21 in Paris UNFCCC COP22 in Marrakesh
What did you study while you were at COA?
I concentrated on climate change policy, social-ecological resilience, and indigenous rights. My senior project was on community-driven climate solutions and perceptions among three Wabanaki tribes (Passamaquoddy, Micmacs, Maliseets).
Year of Graduation
2017
What do you and did you think the importance is of youth involvement in international negotiations?
The involvement of youth in international negotiations have the potential of creating an impetus for enhanced climate action among policymakers and delegates. However, after attending three conferences I have realized that the most effective role of youth in the negotiations is at the grassroots level where their voices and input is actually heard by active and like-minded civil society organisations, unlike the UN level where high-level policymakers and the secretariat primarily ignore or use youth as poster-children for self-selected issues or campaigns while not actually garnering input from them in any policy being drafted.
What is Earth in Brackets to you?
For me I envisioned EiB as a safe, open space to share ideas and learn about climate justice along with spreading awareness on current, pressing, climate issues occurring locally and globally. It has changed in a very positive way that it is less about policy analysis and activism within international negotiations but has instead broadened its scope to local fights for environmental/climate justice in Maine and across the world. This is both thanks to the enriched network of partnering activists and climate justice organizations from hundreds of grassroots actions, events, and conferences, along with new, fresh ideas from incoming COA students who have an increased zeal that makes up for some of the burned-out senior EiB members.
What advice would you give to young environmental justice activists?
Remember to stay strong in tough times and find solace with fellow activists that will help empower you to continue this crucial fight for justice. As you all may know, but need to be reminded about every now and then, this work is not done alone but rather with a justice-minded, resilient, diverse community of activists/scientists/practitioners/artists/etc. that have the capacity and energy to build a strong environmental justice movement.