‘The Climate Ribbon was exactly what I needed. Sometimes the fight against climate change feels insurmountable and with the majority of our work being online from different locations, it was great to see everyone and reaffirm our commitments to the environment and to each other. I also have found great healing through art and was glad to do so in this space.” said Dahvia Hylton, a patron of the Climate Ribbon Ceremony.
The second staging of the JCCYC Climate Ribbon Ceremony took place on Saturday, June 25th at BL_NK Space, Jamaica. It was an artistic and entertaining space for everyone to communicate their hopes and wishes in the fight against climate change. Our thanks are extended to all attendees who supported the event despite varying circumstances and made the event one for the books.
The Climate Ribbon concept started in 2014 when over 400,000 people gathered in New York City for the greatest march against climate chaos in history as the United Nations prepared to convene for what felt like a fruitless discussion. The People’s Climate March’s final art installation—a Tree of Life sculpture hanging with thousands of ribbons telling stories about the things we value most that Climate Chaos threatens to destroy—was the introduction of the Climate Ribbon. The Climate Ribbon is an artistic ritual that expresses the losses that each of us faces as a result of Climate Chaos while also reaffirming our solidarity.
We were excited for this to be an interactive and creative event where patrons were open and intimate about what we truly stand to lose should climate change intensify. For the activity to be more wholesome and engaging, we decided to facilitate the activity through a ‘Paint and Sip’ where individuals would illustrate their thoughts on climate change and how it will impact them. Additionally, ribbons that expressed sentimental messages were affixed to these paintings.
This event provided several ideas and suggestions for future activities that could be undertaken by the council, which will help direct our planning and execution of more exciting climate-centered events. We particularly noticed that our Open Mic performances were valuable assets to the event as indicated by the expressions on the faces of our patrons and we will be looking forward to incorporating more art expressions into future events.
The Jamaica Climate Change Youth Council is dedicated to promoting knowledge of climate change and its implications among Jamaican youth as well as equipping young people to inspire climate action through various methods of communication and events. We look forward to your anticipated support in future events.
OurFootprintJA 