Student Engagement through Sustainability Convergences: Shifting the Lens
Conferences can be a great way to explore a new topic and be introduced to the contents of its work. This article discusses what sustainability conferences can offer college students.
By Justina Thompson — May 15, 2023
What a time to be young and in love with our Planet Earth! Although the responsibility for stewardship is not only on young people of today, there is a present powerful moment of young people working together to make sure we have a planet to thrive for our futures and ones to come after! This is coming from reflection after attending the Power Shift 23 Convergence in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Convergence brought together folks as young as 14 and beyond college years, representing regions within and beyond America to share resources and perspectives around claimer and environmental justice as it impacts their communities, campuses, and careers. There's lots to share about what this conference covered, but I'll start by framing what sustainability conferences and convergences can offer for college students at large!
Connection to Local Knowledge, Culture, and Expertise
Environmental concerns often bring specific nuance when there is a place or community-based focus. Traveling to New Orleans brought attention to flooding damage and rebuilding processes, post Katrina and the many hurricanes that have followed since, along with the high number of industrial facilities that have been built in a predominantly Black communities St. James and St. John the Baptist Parish. In Louisiana, parishes are divisions that correspond to counties in other states. Hurricane Katrina is an event that most folks are familiar with, but the extent of the damage or particular experiences are easy to be lost on us when we are not grounded in the communities or connected to folks close to the event.
Going to the conference encouraged looking at a map in detail and seeing that the city of New Orleans is along the Mississippi, surrounded by three lakes, and right off the Gulf of Mexico. The conference opened with two elders speaking on their current organizing experiences and a federal environmental justice lawsuit against the placement of all the industrial plants around their communities. Traveling to the Deep South, settling in a new geographic region, and hearing stories directly from community members provided a whole frame for what environmental justice emergencies and activism looks like, and this was a lens provided by attending the convergence.
Although students may venture to new locations to attend college, campuses are typically known for being separate from the surrounding communities. Have you considered what it might be like to partner with a professor to see what knowledge the community can provide to enhance your learning on campus? Or have you considered how the knowledge you receive on campus about sustainability end environmentalism may differ by location, or through direct community perspective? Although you don't have to travel for a conference to immerse in a new region and community, this may be a great vehicle to initially do so. Plus, conferences are typically professional development and may be covered through funding by your school!
Service
While your college courses may encourage or require service learning or community service hours, there is a limit to how deep of an impact you can make as an individual or one class over the course of a semester. This is not to discount the impact that can be made, and students should always be encouraged to build community relationships across the duration of their studies. Imagine how that impact could be amplified as a product of a large youth convergence! One way this was carried out at Power Shift was by offering three actions for attendees to participate in on the second day of the convergence. One action was focused on installing a 'Bvlbancha' mural which would honor the Choctaw peoples' calling of the region before colonization, meaning "the place of other languages". This gives homage the the region as a place of waterways, crossed paths, trading, and exchange- of goods, culture and knowledge. This action allowed Convergence attendees to once again, attain a new perspective about the region the Convergence was based in, and specific cultural knowledge that might otherwise be lost though widely-available writings and publications. Connection to community through service is a great way to exchange culture and knowledge instead of just extracting it.
Gratitude to the Three Sisters Collective and Solitary Gardens for hosting Convergence attendees and guiding them through this action! Once again, traveling to a conference is not the only way to engage in deep and impactful service to community, but this framework and lesson from the Convergence space is a takeaway in its own!
Affirmation and Inspiration
One of the unique parts of a college campus is that students come to the same place to study a variety of different topics. Even students studying in the same program or major, can bring entirely different perspectives to the classroom, that what makes class discussion to robust! When students infuse their studies with passion and activism, this can also sometime cause isolation in studies. It's easy to feel like you're the only student with a particular lens, lived experience, or passion for the content you're studying and like every conversation reinforces that rather than making you feel stronger in your stance. Even class readings assigned can do this, especially as academic spaces center traditional and written knowledge and what's assigned may not reflect present innovations or make space for emotions that come up.
The Power Shift Convergence ended the second night with a glorious open mic, filled with songs, ukulele, spoken word, and dancing. What stood out most about this space was how supportive it was, for all in attendance to share their gifts and talents. As we all ended the night singing 'What a Wonderful World' together, the spirit of hope and community rung loud throughout the room. It gave us all joy to bring back to our campuses, communities, and places of work to remain steadfast in our climate work and a moment we could all return to when the world and the work ahead seems bleak. All students, regardless of age deserve to have a space of hope that pushes them forward in the work they seek to engage. And again, while you don't have to travel all the way to a conference to experience this, what it does it look like to create a convergence of hope and joy on your campus? What are the pressing issues students on your campus are working on, and how might you create a space to envision hope around the changes you'd like to see?
Networking
This one may seem obvious, but of course traveling to and attending sustainability conferences provides an abundance of networking opportunities for any students who attend! Connecting with other students and young professionals on a regional and national scale allows students be a part of a bigger movement for change, standing in solidarity, and exchange resources for strategic approaches to implementing environmental practices within your campus community. If your studies bring you to a point where you feel encouraged to take action on behalf on your student body, having that regional and national support can significantly amplify your impact! Attend a conference with preparation by having physical or digital business cards and your a LinkedIn or other sort of portfolio set up online! This makes connecting easier for folks on both ends!
If this all seems intimidating, don't be concerned! Conferences, if they don't require too much on a lift on your end, can be a great way to explore a new topic and be introduced to the contents of its work. And if you have a base understanding of the field but aren't sure how it can translate to a career or where to go next, networking in these spaces can be a great way to find a mentor! Think about ways you might want to grow and learn and make an intentional ask when connecting with new people- the worst they can do is say no!
As I've reiterated, traveling to attend conferences aren't the only way to experience these connections and there are many ways these aspects can be scaled and replicated on your campus specifically. Use the following questions as a guide to shape some intentional spaces of sustainable connection and check out the Power Shift Network to get stay in touch with their work!
Justina Thompson
Justina "Farmer J" Thompson is the Farm Education and Volunteer Manager at Urban Creators, Philadelphia, PA. Justina intentionally attended school in Philadelphia so she could “connect her passion and experience to the ongoing environmental justice work in the area.” As a speaker, educational curriculum designer, program leader, and community organizer, Justina possesses extensive knowledge on urban farming inspired to work in the field of environmental justice from a young age.
Maximizing Mentorship
April 30, 2024
The Rise of College eSports
April 29, 2024
