Young People Gather on Campus for Climate Symposium

Young People Gather on Campus for Climate Symposium

By Rebecca Goldfine

In early October, Bowdoin hosted the first Maine Youth Climate Action Symposium for nearly 100 students from nearby high schools, giving them a day to network, learn, and get inspiration from one another and other young professionals working in Maine's climate field.

The impetus for the event came from Ralph Keyes, who taught earth systems science at Wiscasset High School for thirty-four years until he retired in 2021. His wife, Colleen McKenna, was a former chemistry lab instructor at Bowdoin, so he already had some connections with the College when he presented his idea to Rosemary Armstrong, the academic program manager for environmental studies.

"Ralph's vision and enthusiasm were infectious," Armstrong said. Quickly, the Environmental Studies Program, McKeen Center, and the Office of Sustainability banded together to support the initiative. Additionally, six Bowdoin students were instrumental in planning and staffing the symposium: Ainsley Morrison '26, Naomi Lopez '26, Carlos Ruiz '26, Caroline Vauclain '25, Ciara Tran '25, and Ellie Harmon '27.

The group collaborated to organize a schedule that included specialists who spoke about climate activism, politics, food systems, justice, weather vs. climate, and self-care. "Now that the event at Bowdoin is behind us, I'm even more convinced of the power of bringing Maine youth together to engage in climate solutions," Armstrong said.

Though the brunt of climate change will be borne by them and future generations, they are largely blameless. Instead, he pointed to his grandparents' and parents' generations-and to his own-who built and perpetuated an economy dependent on fossil fuels without heeding the warnings of their deleterious effects.

"But we want to support you guys and take action together to address this," he continued. "There are a lot of smart young people working on this and we can turn it around." He added that he hoped the symposium would galvanize the students to "take more action in your community and school and also possibly at higher political levels."

"Now that the event at Bowdoin is behind us, I'm even more convinced of the power of bringing Maine youth together to engage in climate solutions."

-Rosemary Armstrong, academic program manager for Environmental Studies

Keynote speaker Susie Arnold, senior ocean scientist at the Island Institute, set the tone for the day by describing environmental success stories by local activists in Bonaire, an island off of Venezuela, and in Maine. She also spoke about the role of hope in climate work.

"Enter the science of hope," she said. The science, an active area of research, is based on three components: goal setting, agency (having the knowledge and determination to act), and pathway setting, or creating a plan that can be tweaked in the face of obstacles. "Hope is action-oriented," she said. "Without pathways thinking, it is just wishful thinking."

Bowdoin students, including Morrison, moderated the three morning panels. As part of the state government's Community Resilience Working Group, said she wished she could have attended an event like this when she went to high school in Kennebunk, Maine.

Kate Rice, a senior from Waterville High School and a student leader with Maine Youth for Climate Justice, said she always loves to meet "passionate, young, climate activists...I come away inspired after learning about what people are doing." During this symposium, she said she had been particularly keen on hearing about the growing industry of aquaculture in Maine and how it can remediate ocean acidification.

"I don't believe this world is only in need of saving. I think this world-the natural, more-than-human world-doesn't just want to be saved, it wants to be enjoyed, tasted, and savored. Let the thing you're trying to save save you, too."

-Kate Nicholson, assistant director of student wellness programs

Amos Noto, a Waynflete student who is attending the Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, participated in the symposium with his teacher Johnny Vallo and other Chewonki students. "I came because it's more important than ever to think about and act on climate," he said.

Maya Faulstich, who attends Yarmouth High School and is a student leader with Maine Youth for Climate Justice, said the energy in the room was amazing. "It is always incredible to see high schoolers who care about the climate all in one place," she said. "It's a powerful reminder that we're not alone and we are supported."

For her, the big takeaway from the day came from the climate justice panel, which discussed where one could place any held resentments. "They told us to 'blame systems, not people,'" she said. "The more action we can take together without demonizing one another is so important."

The day was organized around panels and talks, along with a couple of networking and sharing events, and lunch in Thorne Dining Hall.

• Keynote address: "Hope: A Path Toward Climate Goals," by Susie Arnold, senior ocean scientist at the Island Institute
• Three panels:
  • Climate Political Action, with Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) and Abigail Hayne, Youth Climate Engagement Fellow with the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
  • Climate Justice, with negina lawler-naluai, change makers program coordinator for Maine Environmental Education Association, and Peyton Siler Jones, founder of Siler Climate Consulting
  • Climate and Food Systems, with Alessia McCobb, farmer at Sound Pine Farm; Trixie Betz, outreach and development, Maine Aquaculture Association; and Eden Martin, community outreach and volunteer manager, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program
• Three talks:
  • "The Difference Between Weather and Climate," by Meteorologist Dana Osgood, WCSH Channel 6 News Center Maine
  • "Lunch Menu Choices and the Bowdoin Organic Farm," by Lisa Beneman, Bowdoin Organic Garden supervisor
  • "Hope is a Verb: Caring Ourselves into the Future," by Kate Nicholson, assistant director of student wellness programs at Bowdoin

Published October 11, 2024