Twenty-five teenage students displaced by Hurricane Katrina will spend the spring working with scientists and learning about climate change. Then they will take this potent mix of first-hand experience and scientific knowledge to lawmakers in Washington DC.
 | Residents listen to a memorial service for hurricane victims in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans at the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in August 2007 (Photo: Reuters) |
When Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast, the lives of thousands of families in the area changed overnight. For those whose homes were destroyed and who were forced to rebuild or relocate, Katrina was truly a life-changing experience.
A project launched by WWF and the Allianz Foundation for North America is now giving 25 high school students displaced by Hurricane Katrina the opportunity to use and add to their experience. The students will spend several months learning about climate science and modeling, and meet face-to-face with U.S. lawmakers in Washington DC to talk about their experiences, what they have learned, and the dangers that climate change could pose in their states.
The 25 participants in the Allianz-WWF Southeast Climate Witness Program were chosen by a panel of external scientists, educators, and non-profit program directors. Nominated by their teachers, the students submitted detailed personal statements and applications as part of the competitive selection process. Those finally selected stood out among all applicants for their clear commitment to studying environmental issues and educating others about the risks of climate change.
Evan LaBranche is one of the participating students. After Hurricane Katrina, she and her family spent months in neighboring Alabama before returning to their destroyed home in New Orleans.
"Every picture of my sister and I, every picture of my family, every picture of birthdays and vacations was destroyed," she recalls. "The chair that my dad had rocked me away to sleep was moldy and gone. Along with that was the destruction of the laughter, the fun times, and the cries that would never happen again. I felt empty and lonely. I was afraid that I would never hear from my friends ever again. I was afraid that they had not gotten out."
 | Program participants Evan LaBranche and Danielle Wold, both New Orleans residents who had to evacuate the city during Hurricane Katrina (Photos courtesy: WWF) |
To launch the project, the Allianz Foundation gave a 500,000-dollar grant to WWF, half of the million dollars that Allianz Group committed in September 2005 to short- and long-term relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region.
"The young people taking part in this program are truly outstanding young leaders," says Christopher Worthley, executive director of the Allianz Foundation for North America. "Even though they and their families suffered greatly as a result of Hurricane Katrina, they are anything but victims. These are future community leaders who want to understand the impact of climate change and help others - the general public and decision-makers alike - better understand what is at risk and how to prepare."´
Worthley says the project closely reflects the foundation's mission of educating and empowering young people to shape a secure future.
"Whether or not our program participants go into climate science themselves, they will, after having taken part in this program, certainly be very well equipped for careers that require strong analytical and communication skills," he says. "In fact, one of our goals is to introduce the young people to career possibilities in climate science, risk modeling, and other areas they might not have considered. Whichever career field they ultimately choose, these young people will be well prepared to be lifelong learners and leaders."
Empowered witnesses
Each student will be given a laptop computer, a 1,500-dollar stipend, and will work with local WWF experts over the course of the spring. In June, all 25 students will gather for a ten-day Climate Camp, where they will attend career workshops and assist WWF experts in preparing a vulnerability assessment in the southeastern United States.
The students will be called upon to make suggestions about what they think the assessment should take into account, based on their own personal experiences. This could include emphasizing the need for safe escape routes from coastal areas, for example, or ensuring that public health infrastructure will not be flooded, as was the case during Hurricane Katrina.
In July, the participants will take the results of this vulnerability assessment to a Youth Summit in Washington DC, where they will meet with federal lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss how their region is vulnerable to climate change and what should be done to mitigate risks.
According to Christopher Worthley, the program will give the college-bound students a much deeper understanding of climate change and show them that they can affect positive change, even after witnessing one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history.
"From our perspective, this is really meant to be a life-shaping experience for these young people," says Worthley. "They have been through a lot, but, by taking part in this program, they stand to become well-informed civic leaders with an unusual understanding of the risks associated with climate change in their own region and beyond."
"To live in this city, you must have hope that it won't happen again and that things will get better," says Danielle Wold, a program participant whose family had to evacuate her hometown of New Orleans during the hurricane, returning after a month in hotels in Arkansas and Texas. But, says Wold, "you must also put this hope into action."
editor: Valdis Wish
publishing date: May 07, 2008
