March 14 - 16, 2019
40th Climate Reality Leadership Corps
Training
Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC)
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
By: Josephine “Arjho” Latimban Cariño
Turner
I believe in big dreams and
wishes. I believe in achieving my dreams and wishes to come into reality too.
These dreams are driven by my passion to learn, to engage with other people who
are also passionate about what they care about in their community and in their
personal life, to give back and share awareness to benefit other people. I have
only seen and heard the former Vice President Al Gore sharing about Climate
Change on TV interviews, on documentaries, in the mainstream print media, and
on social media postings. Back then, I was only dreaming and wishing to be in
an event where I can just listen in and learn more about this Climate Change
and the Climate Crisis impacting the world, impacting the communities.
It was late in January 2019 that
my Facebook Friend Manobo Princess Bae Limpayen Sibug-Las shared to me the
great news that she was accepted for the Climate Reality Leadership Corps
Training that will be held here in Atlanta, USA. She is coming to join this
global training and I willingly shared to her that my family can host her stay
while here in Atlanta. I thought then that I will only serve as a host and will
be willing to drive her around downtown to the Georgia World Congress Center
(GWW) from March 14 – 16, 2019. However, when I checked the website www.climaterealityproject.org,
I found out that they are still open for application. The greatest part is that
the application registration is free and the application will be screened if
approved or not. However, associated travel costs will be shouldered by
participants approved for the training. I did my online application and
answered all questions asked. Here is what I shared as part of my application
and I am sharing this with the hope that whoever reads this story will be encouraged
to apply as well for future training of The Climate Reality Project:
-----
About Me
My name is Josephine Latimban Cariño Turner but I prefer to be
called by my nickname Arjho. I am half Blaan from the Blaan Indigenous Peoples
Group of the Philippines and now living in Atlanta since 2006. I got my BS in
Agriculture major in Plant Pathology and MS in Environment and Natural Resource
Management major in Upland Resource Management from the University of the
Philippines. I am also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) by the
Project Management Institute (PMI). I am a wife and a Mom of two beautiful
kids. I am a cultural and environmental advocate serving non-profit
organizations here in Atlanta and in the Philippines. More about me at my website: https://arjhoturner.weebly.com/
What inspired me to apply to the
training?
Before immigrating to the USA, I
was a Program Manager for the Indigenous Peoples Development Program of
Sarangani Province and one of our resource management projects was focused on
preserving the traditional upland rice varieties. This traditional agriculture
is very vulnerable for the impact of Climate Change especially as the upland
areas become drier and drier and food security in the household level is
adversely affected and help is very hard to get. I believe that resilience and adaptability is
ingrained into the traditions and cultures of many of the societies. However in
many cases, if voices aren’t effectively communicated and stories left untold,
focus of politicians and resources are directed towards where cameras focused
that provide the most compelling narrative. Thus, am very much inspired to
share how the Indigenous Peoples Group where I came from in the Philippines are
really suffering from climate change that impacts the livelihood as well as the
vanishing of cultural practices that have sustained them through time and hope
to give a voice to that thru the KafyeBlaan Empowerment, Inc., a non-profit
organization based in the Philippines that I serve a Consultant and Honorary
Board of Trustee. This is my first time
to attend this Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training. I am excited to host
a fellow participant friend from the Philippines with whom I get the information
about the training.
What are you most looking forward
to?
I am looking forward to learn on
how to be a more effective environmental advocate. It would be awesome as well
to meet participants from different countries and especially those who are actively
doing collaborative works for people in marginalized communities. I am excited
to meet mentors too and am very much willing to be mentored and empowered to
join this global movement.
----
On January 30, 2019, I got an
email confirmation for the acceptance of my application. Just like that and my
dream and wish is getting real! I could not wait for March 14-16! I shared this
great news to Manobo Princess Bae Limpayen Sibug-Las and thanked her for
sharing the information to me. I could have missed out this training happening
30 minutes away from where I live just because I did not have any information
about it…but, God knows how to use people in our lives and make them vessels in
fulfilling our dreams.
I am proud to share the advocacy
of the KafyeBlaan Empowerment, Inc. to the 40th Climate Reality Leadership Corps
Training in Atlanta. I had a great opportunity to open up discussion and
sharing on the challenges that Indigenous Cultural Communities living on the
fringes in developing countries like the Philippines face with the challenges
of climate change and its impact to our cultural preservation ... rituals,
practices and traditions like weaving that rely heavily on natural resources
for raw materials like the wild abaca fiber for Tabih weaving and plants that
are sources of natural dyes are in great danger of dis-appearing with the
drastic change in the local climate from naturally cool, moist, and diversified
farms as sources of crops/foods, fibers, herbal medicines, endemic species to
now largely mono-cropping farms, highly intensive synthetic fertilizer dependent
farms...as an example among so many we can share. In this training, I did not
only share the story but proudly wear that story of the close ties to nature
and natural resources as reflected in cultural materials done by two Blaan
communities with whom I got my blouse and my Blaan Tabih ... Lamlifew in Datal
Tampal, Malungon, Sarangani Province and Amguo, Landan, Polomolok, South
Cotabato. I was also able to share about the Blaan Tabih Cultural Master Bai
Yabing Masalon Dulo and gave a copy of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
(GAMABA) portfolio in which she is one of the 2016 awardees from the National
Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA). I made a thank you note
addressed to former Vice President Al Gore, Founder and Chairman of The Climate
Reality Project in relation as well to the impact of Climate Change especially
local climate change to the Blaan Tabih weaving culture. I am thankful to NCCA
for sending the extra GAMABA portfolio copy thru Manobo Princess Limpayen
Sibug-Las. Thank you as well to the KafyeBlaan Board of Trustees for allowing
me to represent our organization in this global movement.
My dream and wish has come true. After
3 days of intensive, empowering, and inspiring training … I earned the Climate
Reality Leader pin and Certificate of Completion attesting that I am now a
Climate Reality Leader. This title comes with responsibility, accountability,
commitment and dedication. As a Climate Reality Leader, I have agreed and
committed to do the following acts of leadership:
1) to share the Climate Reality
slideshow presentation to schools, organizations, community groups, government
leaders, and other audiences about the climate crisis and what we must do to
solve it;
2) to spread the message about
climate crisis through the media; and
3) getting involved in Climate
Reality events, attending a climate change event or hosting a climate change
event, meeting up with local influencer to talk about climate change, writing a
blog post, sending a letter to an elected official, and other meaningful efforts
to raise awareness of and strengthen the movement to solve climate crisis.
If you are reading this story and
you fall in one of those stakeholders that I can potentially partner with,
please feel free to send me an email at arjhoturner@yahoo.com.
All these acts of leadership are voluntary in nature and it is global in scope.
If you are
interested to be trained as a Climate Reality Leader, the application for the
training in Australia is still open until April 18. The Brisbane Training will
be on June 5-7, 2019. Details available in this link: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/training?segment=web_homepage_tile
As stated in the Climate Reality Project website, participants to the
training come from all walks of life:
·
Community activists working for a fair economy
for all
·
Business leaders looking to inspire change in
their industry
·
People of faith embracing stewardship and
compassion
·
Parents concerned about fossil fuels harming
their family’s health
·
Young people ready to build a fair and inclusive
clean energy future
Join this training and learn new
ways to educate others and inspire action. The Climate Reality Leadership Corps
Training will help you build skills in communications, leadership, and
community outreach. Be part of the global community of activists committed to
fight climate change crisis and you can start it in your own community.
“It’s time to fight fossil fuels
together. Climate activists and social justice leaders, united in one powerful
movement. Because fossil fuels aren’t just changing our climate. They’re
poisoning our communities – and low-income families and communities of color
most of all. So for any solution to work, it’s got to work for everyone.
It’s time to talk about equity.
It’s time to stand with the frontline communities so often the worst hit and
the fist forgotten when climate-fueled hurricanes and floods strike. It’s time
to confront rising temperatures and rising injustice as two sides of the same
terrible coin.” – The Climate Reality Project
