Help Auntie Aletha Fight Climate Change!

Aloha,

My name is Aletha Dale McCullough. On March 5th, I celebrated my 51st birthday. I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, where I attended school until the age of 18. After secondary school, I migrated to the United States living first in California, then Guam and for the last 23 years in the state of Hawai’i.

I am a PhD candidate in Sustainability Education at Prescott College in Arizona. I am interested in participating in the Global Environments Summer Academy, hosted by the Global Diversity Foundation. The theme of this year's summer academy is, “Renwal, Resilience and Hope” which are some of the major ideas I wish to explore in the dissertation portion of my degree program.

My dissertation research was done in Trinidad and Tobago where I worked with 11-year-old students to co-create a Sustainability Education project. In this project, we grew food and every week worked with cultural practitioners, environmentalists, and various artists. The purpose of my research was to engage the young people in thinking about their place with a focus on centering Indigenous and local knowledge about our connection to our land, waters and animals. The students and I met once a week from November to the first week of March. In May 2023, I experienced a stroke, which briefly deferred my studies. Once I graduate, I hope to move back to the Caribbean and work on issues that affect us deeply; like gender based violence, environmental pollution and climate change.

The Global Environments Summer Academy (GESA) aligns with my scholarly work and goals which seeks to address and find solutions to global warming and environmental pollution. My scholarly work and goals are influenced by my identity as an island woman. Identifying as an island woman means that I have a deep care and concern for the land, flora, fauna, water, and people who exist and live on the island with me. Increasing temperatures, excessive rainfall, tsunami warnings, bleached coral reefs, rising sea level, the destruction of mangroves and threats to our ocean environment are some of the events I have witnessed in my lifetime. A few months ago, an abandoned tanker spilled thousands of gallons of fuel off the coast of Tobago. It has affected marine life, the coastal environment and the lives of the many people who depend on tourism and fishing as their main sources of income. (Wilkinson, 2024). If there was ever a time to seek solutions to the harmful effects of climate change and environmental pollution , it is right now. Additionally, the mentorship, community, tools, and skills gained at the GESA would be beneficial as I write the dissertation.

My intentions for this summer academy is to learn as much as I can about writing academically and speaking publicly about climate change. I want to understand climate change from multiple lenses; historically, culturally, economically and politically. I feel this understanding is crucial before I write and speak about these topics. I do not have a strong scientific academic background; so I am hoping this academy will fill some of these gaps in my knowledge. As an educator with a background in experiential, land-based education, I am excited about the opportunity to meet and learn with other attendees at the Quadrangle in Kent and the Knepp Rewilding Estate.

I aspire to be a writer and artist who engages in counter storytelling (sharing the stories of people and places who are usually not heard), similar to noted poets from the Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora like Benjamin Zephaniah from England and Louise Bennett from Jamaica. I would like to write articles about climate change issues and sustainability practices from the perspectives of populations that are most impacted. I also hope to use the mediums of poetry, photography, and videography to educate and activate people’s consciousness about these important issues.I am also a filmmaker, having written and directed 2 short documentaries, and also producing video projects for other changemakers.

I consider myself a diasporic Caribbean person as I have lived and experienced many different geographies like San Diego, Northern Arizona, Guam and Hawai’i. From experience I have learned to appreciate the diversity of epistemologies and multiple ways of looking at an issue. I look forward to the opportunity to attend a program that is global in its reach, as I believe that would help to deepen my knowledge and connect with like minded individuals from across the planet.

While more than 1/2 of my tuition is being paid by the organization, I still need to pay 800 pounds ($1018 USD) . After a 7-week online program, all participants are to meet in England. The money raised would also be used to purchase my ticket from Hawai'i to London as well as provide money for meals and other expenses. I have been unable to work since I experienced a stroke in May, 2023. I would greatly appreciate your help with this endeavor. This is my first GO FUND ME campaign.

Fundraising for the Summer Academy

Tuition - $1,018 USD

R/t Ticket Hawaii- London- $1,200 USD

Trip expenses - $800 USD

Total = $3018

Source

Wilkinson, B. (2024, February 13). Abandoned, overturned vessel spills crude off Tobago. New York Amsterdam News. https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2024/02/13/abandoned-overtruend-vessel-spilled-curde-off-tabago/