East Asia Climate Leadership Camp August 22-26, 2015

Participants at the East Asia Leadership Camp.

In 2015, I was invited to Vietnam to conduct storytelling workshops at the East Asia Climate Leadership Camp. A five-day climate leadership training that brought well-selected climate leaders and organizers together. The training was an opportunity for participants to learn a little more about cross-cultural understanding, climate leadership upskilling, strategy building, regional networking and generating actionable ideas that would help solve the climate crisis in East Asia. 

The camp was organized by 350.org Vietnam with technical support from 350.org, 350.org East Asia, and other partners.

To be selected for the training, you had to be able to commit to an actional plan for climate campaigning in your country. This was the first ever East Asia regional climate leaders training that included a follow- up plan that participants needed to commit to. The participants came from diverse backgrounds and skills that enabled cross-border networking and leadership.

Throughout the training, they were assigned real- life situation tasks had to learn how to collaborate and use various tactics to do an effective campaign in different contexts from using storytelling, arts, direct actions, digital campaigning and community organizing. My role as a story coach was to help young East Asian climate leaders understand what compelled them to do the work that they do and communicate that clearly and concisely to mobilize potential climate activists in their communities. 

Facilitators at the East Asia Leadership Camp.

During my time there, I worked closely with Zeph Repollo, a Phillipino campaigner, and organizer with 350.org East Asia. She was one of the most inspiring people I have ever worked with and it was such a blessing to be able to see her stand in her power and inspire so many more participants at the training. A few months after the East Asia Leadership Camp, I supported her as she released this powerful blog about the terror inflicted on the Lumad people who stand to defend their ancestral lands from corporate mining interests.

Zeph Repollo.