Professor Julia Baird has long recognized the value of engaging with community about sustainability science and action.<\/p>\n
So, when the opportunity arose to co-lead a daylong climate symposium at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) with community leader Jennifer Dockstader, the Director of Brock\u2019s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) says it was \u201can easy yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The took place Saturday, Jan. 31 as part of a 10-day Arts in Action: Climate festival<\/a> at the PAC. The symposium welcomed the Niagara community for a series of panel discussions featuring a wide variety of Indigenous, scientific and artistic voices.<\/p>\n Colleen Smith, CEO of the PAC and Executive Producer of the festival, says the event built on the PAC\u2019s history of \u201cconvening community to explore and further enhance public dialogue pertaining to local, national and global topics and concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen designing an art and climate festival, the notion of also hosting a climate symposium, reflecting both Indigenous and western science perspectives, was a natural progression,\u201d says Smith. \u201cFinding two such passionate and complementary leaders as Jennifer Dockstader and Dr. Julia Baird willing to co-lead this symposium meant that Art in Action:\u00a0Climate\u00a0could be a festival that could truly embrace and engage a diverse community on a subject that would complement and expand on our artistic presentations.\u201d<\/p>\n Dockstader says one of her goals as co-lead was to bring brilliant Indigenous scholars, artists and community members to a wider Niagara audience, which she says should be pushing for more Indigenous voices in public conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have some great minds already doing this work, so it’s wonderful to bring to the stage all of these great innovators, thinkers, creators, artists and scientists,\u201d she says. \u201cWe really shouldn\u2019t be doing this work without Indigenous people, so it\u2019s been an honour to bring the people I know to this symposium.\u201d<\/p>\n Several Brock faculty members, many of whom are ESRC affiliates, also participated, including:<\/p>\n For Vasseur, who has placed a strong emphasis on art and poetry in her work as UNESCO Chair, the symposium was a natural fit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to open the eyes of people to realize that we all have a role to play in this \u2014 it\u2019s the art in action, but it\u2019s also people in action,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Vasseur also says sharing the stage with Rick Hill Sr. was particularly meaningful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an honour to be able to have this conversation with Dr. Rick Hill, a conversation between the settler white scientist and the Indigenous scientist about how we can have the fertility of these two knowledges connect, to be able to advance the challenge that we have with climate change,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n In addition to the one-day symposium, Brock students minoring in Environmental Sustainability are acting as Youth Ambassadors throughout the festival and will share their perspectives at Youth in Action: Next Gen Speaks<\/a> on Saturday, Feb. 7.<\/p>\n\n