Old Crow, Yukon
Year(s) Funded: 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011
Topic Area: Food Security Contact:Katelyn Friendship ([email protected]), Jody Butler Walker ([email protected]) and Norma Kassi ([email protected]) Partners: International Polar Year, Vuntut Gwitchin Government, Yukon College in Old Crow Title:
The first phase of AICBR’s project included a large gathering in January 2009 where the youth actively participated with the community in various climate change workshops with International Polar Year researchers to learn about environmental changes in the Old Crow area. Educational topics during the workshops included: tree ring readings; diabetes prevention; ice age fossils, bones and insects; historical air photos; permafrost; moose and muskrat food security; and hydrology and wetlands. Throughout this meeting, Elders shared valuable traditional knowledge with the youth, and many people shared thoughtful wisdom and advice. From this gathering, there was a strong recommendation from the youth and the rest of the community that the research continue. Phase II focused on learning what food security adaptation strategies the community has been doing and could do in the future to help cope with climate change. This involved training youth to develop researching skills, with three youth interviewing over 30 members of their community. In addition, four youth were trained in filmmaking and developed their own trailers about food security in the community. Phase III continued to follow a community-based participatory research framework, and focused on assisting and facilitating the community in determining how Old Crow could implement recommendations from Phase II (2009-2010) in order to address food security issues. Results: Capacity building among youth, Elders, and community members was facilitated through: hands-on training for youth who interviewed community members about food security; training in video production; public speaking (presentation at the Climate Change and Health Results Workshops – 2011); using computers as research tools; and providing community-based research training to youth researchers and a local research assistant. Discussion groups engaged Old Crow community members in discussions about climate change and health, specifically food security, which increased capacity to contribute to the development and implementation of food security adaptation options. Youth participating in this project actively learned from Elders traditional knowledge, supporting intergenerational knowledge exchanges. Outputs: A video documentary titled “Our Changing Homelands Our Changing Lives” about the present effects of climate change in the North Yukon from a community perspective. Additional Publications & Resources
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“Hard times are coming, one day caribou and fish will be gone, then what you gonna do? You guys have to teach the younger people how to live in the future, make them strong again, only way. And look after our water- keep it clean.” Elder John Joe Kaye, Vuntut Gwitchin “It’s excellent and encouraging to see our own youth doing research. This will provide them with the tools they will need to assist the community in the future.” Chief Joe Linklater It’s all of ours, individually. You know, parents, brothers, sisters, aunties, and cousins. I mean family. We look out for each other, we help each other. It should not be put solely on one person. I mean it’s not because of one person that we’re at the point we’re at today, it’s because of all of us and all of our actions, so we should all be accountable for what we’ve done and for where we are. Brandon Kyikavichik |
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