For my first post in 2021, I want to share about the amazing work performed by our friend Mike Jabot and his colleagues. I conversed with Mike a couple weeks ago, and I learned that he participated in a joint project between the Seneca Nation and the USDA Northeast Climate Hub called, “Connecting Youth to the Changing Water”. Through this project, the youth were engaged in learning opportunities while helping the farm reintroduce native crops known as the “three sisters” (corn, beans, and squash). The youth learned about planting, harvesting, and storing the crops. While working on their daily farming operations, they also walked to their weather station and learned about data collection and how the information can be used. Mike then took the opportunity to show the youth how to observe clouds following the GLOBE clouds protocol! Throughout the project, collaborators learned about Seneca culture and knowledge. Together, the youth, the broader community and the project collaborators engaged in discussions about how to become social and cultural agents for climate adaptation.
During our conversation, Mike and I reflected on how fortunate we are to work with students from many different backgrounds. We agreed that every time, we -as educators- are the ones that end up learning the most, from our students. Mike looks forward to continuing the project with the Seneca youth, and I will make sure to have him keep us posted 😊
