Under the motto “girls’ education is a climate solution”, researchers Valentina Bernal and Catalina Jara began their participation in Tremendas Foundation’s Climatic Academy. A project aimed at 12 to 25 year-old girls and adolescents from different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
A mentorship that seeks to guide young people on Climate Action projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations, is part of the objectives of the Climate Academy of Tremendas Foundation. The researchers from the BASE Millennium Institute, Valentina Bernal and Catalina Jara, participated in this online space from the cities of Santiago and Concepción.
Valentina Bernal is also a doctoral researcher at the University of Chile, and she highlighted the initiative which allowed her to work with participants from Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile: “It is the first time that I have mentored girls and adolescents, and to be able to approach young people was a super good experience. I am very grateful for the Tremendas Foundation and what they do. I saw that the girls were very concerned about the issues of Climate Change, gender equality and very motivated to make changes in society”, she pointed out.
While Catalina Jara, also a master’s researcher at the University of Concepción (UdeC), highlighted the opportunity as a relevant space for the exchange of vocational experiences: “It was very pleasant to be able to participate with Tremendas, when I was younger I did not have the opportunity to find a space where I could share concerns and talk about Climate Change. Being able to do it now as a mentor, with more training, is something super gratifying. I hope to sow a seed and motivate the girls to do more projects related to science”, she affirmed when describing her work with participants from El Salvador, Peru and Chile.
In addition to the presence of the Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems (BASE) at the Climatic Academy, the Director of Communications of BASE, Nadia Politis, joins as a mentor linked to the Science communication, Digital Communication and New Media. There will be three online cycles, carried out by the three mentors, which will take place every Saturday until September 10th. Subsequently, the meetings will end with the presentation of a project and/or prototype.
The Climatic Academy is a free program which includes a four-month training through online mentoring, and it seeks to support young women and girls in the development of practical projects that help them move “from banner to action”, generating a climate action community that connects scientific and academic knowledge with territorial needs.
By: Constanza Barrientos
