The Significance of Intergenerational and Intercultural Knowledge Transfer on Youth and Adults
Abstract
The significance of an inclusive intergenerational and intercultural learning environment using multiple knowledge systems in the Reaching Arctic Communities Facing Climate Change (ReAC) and Arctic and Earth SIGNs projects, is expressed by youth and adults and evident in evaluation data. In the ReAC project, youth were highly motivated to attend and participate in the Signs of the Land Camp, to learn about climate change impacts in Alaska from Elders through stories which they thirsted for and appreciated. Listening to Elders also made western climate science more accessible and acceptable to youth, educators, community members especially after hearing from Tribal Chief Trimble, "we need to learn and work together on climate change" and set a hopeful outlook when the Elders reiterated how Indigenous people have always been able to adapt to changes in the past. In the Arctic and Earth SIGNs, Alaska Native high school seniors from Kwethluk, also had a braided learning of Indigenous and western science about the impacts of a warming Arctic. After hearing from their Elders about loss of land and history, and having to move homes, these students designed and conducted a science investigation on soil erosion important to their community. In addition to the oral science session presentation, it was important for these Yupik students to present their project that was culturally meaningful to them through story, a part of who they are and a tool for sharing knowledge. They wrote a song about the project, sang and danced to it at one of the cultural session presentations during an international conference of GLOBE students from more than 20 countries. Numerous conference participants shared how moved they were by and how much they appreciated the presentation. Also in the Arctic and Earth SIGNs project, we found making space for stories to happen and to be shared during professional development workshops/courses enriches community learning, building and empowerment.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.U32A..05S
- Keywords:
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- 0825 Teaching methods;
- EDUCATION;
- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION