In the article below, Gelata Aman, the digital youth trainer for 'Trees for Life' project reflects on how important creative projects can be to inspire climate solutions and learning.
YOUTH REFLECTIONS - Why teach communities digital art, nature conservation, and forest care? Why make living tree artworks!
Gelata Aman, Digital Youth trainer, Rural Organization for Betterment of Agro-Pastoralists (ROBA), Ethiopia (November 25, 2021)
This project has ignited an opportunity for me to connect my education and experience with nature conservation, art and culture – that’s something I didn’t expect. I want to share my digital knowledge gained through my schooling as well as tips for self-learning with Oromo community – school children, youth and anyone interested. I am happy to contribute my share back to make my community stronger.
I learnt lots from Trees for Lifeproject. There is no life without trees! If there are no trees, there is no food. Without trees there is also no water, we can drink. Trees offer clean air that we can breathe. Trees are not something to be ignored, trees are everything for life.
I learnt most importantly working with the kids – they understand how important trees are. They have also taught me how important their education is. They are highly motivated to learn digital skills and art – this is a necessity for their lives and to thrive into the future.
Digital art by itself it is an incredible thing but making Digital art and Living artworks (Black lion tree artwork) is superb and much more interesting. By helping the students to learn and record community culture and knowledge about trees it has been wondrous. The fact that we can share the recorded photo and video with world communities and this can help inspire us and others to think about how to mitigate climate change is fantastic and honourable.
My favourite living artwork (planting) is the Black Lion [Ethiopian lion], it’s an indigenous and endangered wild animal that exists only in this country! By planting living artwork in the shape of the lion model as youth we can learn so much more about this lion species and the trees for this image.
We, youth, are realizing even without conservation management training, we are able to add to preservation efforts and increase plants which add to wildlife ecosystems. Our planting actions teach communities and youth we can conserve plants and wild animals altogether. So many wild animals are living in trees. By keeping and conserving trees we are keeping the lion and all these precious wild animals alive – we are finding balance to restore good forest health.
I am excited by this project as the best outcomes are realizing we can help restore our ecosystems and ourselves. For me the below lists the best parts of the project:
During my stay with Kofele community and youth, I have witnessed a transformation. The youth are extremely motivated at school – they are excited in learning digital art, song writing, and making this project come together. I am also so happy to see elders happy to share with youth their knowledge of forest care and ancestor traditions. Elders were also so happy to see, share and participate in tree celebrations. Elders have connected us, trees and animals into our culture and into our hearts and minds. My challenge is how to continue with these levels of motivation?! and how can I assist youth with more art education opportunities?
I think we need to make this work [,Trees for Life project,] continuous for our communities! We need to continue to grow, plant trees and to speak and exchange with elders about our ecosystem knowledge. We need to fight and mitigate climate change and we need to do this with beauty, respect, and with art and through training. Youth want to do more skills learning, art, and finding ways to assist our ecosystems. Art is a form of education. More projects need this balance of art, community and ecosystem care. Let us continue to work creatively together.
Gelata Aman, Digital Youth trainer, Rural Organization for Betterment of Agro-Pastoralists (ROBA), Ethiopia (November 25, 2021)
This project has ignited an opportunity for me to connect my education and experience with nature conservation, art and culture – that’s something I didn’t expect. I want to share my digital knowledge gained through my schooling as well as tips for self-learning with Oromo community – school children, youth and anyone interested. I am happy to contribute my share back to make my community stronger.
I learnt lots from Trees for Lifeproject. There is no life without trees! If there are no trees, there is no food. Without trees there is also no water, we can drink. Trees offer clean air that we can breathe. Trees are not something to be ignored, trees are everything for life.
I learnt most importantly working with the kids – they understand how important trees are. They have also taught me how important their education is. They are highly motivated to learn digital skills and art – this is a necessity for their lives and to thrive into the future.
Digital art by itself it is an incredible thing but making Digital art and Living artworks (Black lion tree artwork) is superb and much more interesting. By helping the students to learn and record community culture and knowledge about trees it has been wondrous. The fact that we can share the recorded photo and video with world communities and this can help inspire us and others to think about how to mitigate climate change is fantastic and honourable.
My favourite living artwork (planting) is the Black Lion [Ethiopian lion], it’s an indigenous and endangered wild animal that exists only in this country! By planting living artwork in the shape of the lion model as youth we can learn so much more about this lion species and the trees for this image.
We, youth, are realizing even without conservation management training, we are able to add to preservation efforts and increase plants which add to wildlife ecosystems. Our planting actions teach communities and youth we can conserve plants and wild animals altogether. So many wild animals are living in trees. By keeping and conserving trees we are keeping the lion and all these precious wild animals alive – we are finding balance to restore good forest health.
I am excited by this project as the best outcomes are realizing we can help restore our ecosystems and ourselves. For me the below lists the best parts of the project:
- the communities learned how to plant trees, conserve wild animals ecosystem and mitigate climate change
- the youth learned how to collect and record community stories. These stories collected are all about our ecosystem knowledge. We are conserving knowledge transferred from our ancestors .
- the youth learned how to record our special connection of tree to Oromo people. We are happy to share with world communities our stories. Oromo values and this project show we can learn ecosystem restoration is possible when working towards balance and respect for trees and wild animals.
- Youth learned how to grow and keep the indigenous tree species on the nursery site. Trees were also grown at their homestead for their benefit.
- Youth learned and recorded the use of different indigenous trees from our community elders. We feel stronger.
During my stay with Kofele community and youth, I have witnessed a transformation. The youth are extremely motivated at school – they are excited in learning digital art, song writing, and making this project come together. I am also so happy to see elders happy to share with youth their knowledge of forest care and ancestor traditions. Elders were also so happy to see, share and participate in tree celebrations. Elders have connected us, trees and animals into our culture and into our hearts and minds. My challenge is how to continue with these levels of motivation?! and how can I assist youth with more art education opportunities?
I think we need to make this work [,Trees for Life project,] continuous for our communities! We need to continue to grow, plant trees and to speak and exchange with elders about our ecosystem knowledge. We need to fight and mitigate climate change and we need to do this with beauty, respect, and with art and through training. Youth want to do more skills learning, art, and finding ways to assist our ecosystems. Art is a form of education. More projects need this balance of art, community and ecosystem care. Let us continue to work creatively together.
About Gelata Aman
Gelata Aman is a young professional photographer, videographer, computer expert, and now digital trainer and teacher. He saw an advertisement for a Digital Educator and Trainer post advertised by ROBA and was interested to pursue the job.
As Gelata writes "I had a lot of interest in digital media from a young age. I watched many different youtube video tutorials. For my formal training I acquired digital photography and videography training through schooling. I am certified in digital photography and videography by Cyber Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (TVET). In addition my practical and written exams from Madda Walabu University and overall high scoring academic achievements were attractive and helped me secure 'Trees for Life' post and evolve into a community digital trainer."
About Rural Organization for the Betterment of Agropastoralists (ROBA) | Ethiopia
ROBA was established as a non-profit in 1999 by Kofele elders and community stakeholders. The organization's mandate is to respond to the challenges and root causes of poverty, and expand services to rural communities in order to reduce inequalities and improve the lives of women, children and youth, particularly in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Key organizational areas of specialised delivery include (1) poverty reduction through economic empowerment in agricultural and natural resource management, (2) creation of education and literacy programs (3) promotion of climate adaptation learning to (4) gender/women's rights, and (5) development of emergency response programs to natural and/or health disasters.
Gelata Aman is a young professional photographer, videographer, computer expert, and now digital trainer and teacher. He saw an advertisement for a Digital Educator and Trainer post advertised by ROBA and was interested to pursue the job.
As Gelata writes "I had a lot of interest in digital media from a young age. I watched many different youtube video tutorials. For my formal training I acquired digital photography and videography training through schooling. I am certified in digital photography and videography by Cyber Technical and Vocational Education and Training College (TVET). In addition my practical and written exams from Madda Walabu University and overall high scoring academic achievements were attractive and helped me secure 'Trees for Life' post and evolve into a community digital trainer."
About Rural Organization for the Betterment of Agropastoralists (ROBA) | Ethiopia
ROBA was established as a non-profit in 1999 by Kofele elders and community stakeholders. The organization's mandate is to respond to the challenges and root causes of poverty, and expand services to rural communities in order to reduce inequalities and improve the lives of women, children and youth, particularly in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Key organizational areas of specialised delivery include (1) poverty reduction through economic empowerment in agricultural and natural resource management, (2) creation of education and literacy programs (3) promotion of climate adaptation learning to (4) gender/women's rights, and (5) development of emergency response programs to natural and/or health disasters.
RESOURCES
Rural Organization for the Betterment of Agropastoralists (ROBA) Ethiopia
www.robaethiopia.org
To learn more about agropastoralists the following article in the World Environmental Library gives an overview to this specialized farming system.
Rural Organization for the Betterment of Agropastoralists (ROBA) Ethiopia
www.robaethiopia.org
To learn more about agropastoralists the following article in the World Environmental Library gives an overview to this specialized farming system.
