Migration Stories

Description: 

Migration stories—of cultures, people, and animals, particularly butterflies and birds—are emerging as an effective tool for helping people relate to, understand, and take action on climate change. Connecting human migration stories to animal migration stories, especially Monarch butterflies, is spurring community-based climate action and advancing other social change goals at the same time. This tool will help you develop your own migration story activities or program. It includes examples of existing programs, ideas for developing your own programs, and two workshop guides.

Objective: 

Connect human and animal migration stories to help communities relate to climate action and develop create climate action strategies

Audience: 
Middle School
High School
Adult
Time needed: 

1.5–2 hours per workshop

Materials Needed: 

Depending on workshop, poem copies and worksheet (included), pencils, name table-tents, a big post-it pad, markers, 6–10 objects, a microphone and digital recorder

Partners Who Used this Tool: 

Faith in Place/Covenant United Church of Christ, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum

Acknowledgments: 

Thanks to Toni Anderson, founder and executive director, Sacred Keepers Sustainability Lab; Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, director, Earth Partnership RESTORE, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum; Rosa Cabrera, director, UIC Latino Cultural Center; Radames Galarza, ALBA School; Veronica Kyle, congregational outreach director, Faith in Place; and Michael Rizo, urban and community outreach specialist, Latin America, Caribbean & Canada Program, US Forest Service International Programs for sharing their migration story programs and materials with us and allowing us to share them as part of this tool.