Poem for my daughter (Kathy Jetnil-Kijiñer)

• About this resource

  “Climate change is a challenge that few want to take on, but the price of inaction is so high”. This statement marks part of the speech by Ms. Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, Civil Society Representative from the Marshall Islands, who was selected from over 500 applicants to address the opening of the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014.

  This evocative speech culminates in a poem written for Jetnil-Kijiner’s baby daughter that promises that older generations will fight for the younger generations. The video can provide a segway into discussions about climate justice, and responsibility across generations. 

• Testimonies from educators

  The following quotes were from educators who explained that they try to foreground a wide range of voices and perspectives in their classrooms, often using videos and spoken word to share stories from the Global South.

  “When you're thinking about the human cost that allows for storytelling. And I think storytelling is a really good way to make these issues come to life. And you know there's plenty of resources out there [that] bring those human experiences into the classroom, and I suppose that would be a very good kind of cross-curricular approach as well.” Dublin-based senior cycle educator

  “I suppose in terms of teaching, I would say two different things. One is the injustice of the effects of climate change across the world. It is important that pupils understand that and understand or are enabled to - for that to have an impact on them. But then also the justice between generations, so what we do now is not necessarily the best way to go about having a sustainable future. And so [we need] to talk about that.” Newcastle-based secondary educator

  “Like, the justice thing matters so much in this. I think you have to paint the picture at the beginning of why it's so unfair. I think sometimes you take that for granted that we all know. But they don't necessarily know. The kids don't know, the parents don't know, wider society doesn't realise how unfair it is. Like, kids will recognise unfairness very fast, if you show them. So you'll have to be giving them something that they can – you know, something that they can see maybe, something that they can do, certainly that they don't have to support a system that's so unfair.” Dublin-based post-primary educator