MindChangers’ Hummingbirds landed in the Esperanzah! Festival

The “flow” of Eritrean “migrants" and the “arrival” of Eritrean “expatriates" do not sound the same to people's ears... How does the use of different words affect different sensitivities around migrations? And how to address the distress, labelled “eco-anxiety” that climate issues generate? 

Camille, Roberto, Hugo and others are climate activists, aged between 15-35, part of Mindchangers projects active in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. They got the attention of Esperanzah! Festival-goers in Brussels, 28-29 July. In the ‘Village des Possibles”, they led the discussion around climate and migration issues in two different workshops. 

One activity addressed the use of various words around migration. The idea was not to rule on which words to use, but to realise that there are different sensitivities and the great influence of language.

The other activity led participants to question their habits in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN Member States in the 2030 Agenda. Through these exchanges, it became clear that many of the SDGs are not only known, but can be implemented by people at individual level. 

Esperenzah! was an opportunity to test their activities, tools and arguments, noting some limitations, which they will address and improve. Climate issues often generate distress, labelled “eco-anxiety”. The young Mindchangers decided to counter this together, despite their moments of doubt and weakness. They left after two days with a wider network and galvanised by people's engagement. 

Read the full article on the Mindchangers website.

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