“Taking One Small Step toward Great Change”

Training in Latin America Equips Lutheran Youth for Advocacy on Climate Justice

Youth delegates to The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) regional meeting for churches in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have expressed their strong support for the LAC churches’ commitment to advocacy and environmental care initiatives that address climate change.

The 16 youth participated in an LWF-led training on advocacy and climate justice, 13-15 April, prior to the Latin American Church Leadership Conference (Conferencia de Liderazgo-COL) hosted by the Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope in the capital Managua. The training by LWF Youth included an exposure visit to the “Green Project” in rural Nicaragua, a farm learning center that grows coffee and fruit trees utilizing organic fertilizers.

The local Lutheran church supports the center where community members can learn about irrigation, family gardens, water management and alternative farming, as well as food security, deforestation and water contamination.

In the project visit, some 40 Nicaraguan youth, who had traveled five hours to meet the LAC youth delegates, shared their experiences.

Fabian Bello, a delegate from Colombia, commended the Nicaraguan Lutheran church for its significant support to the “Green Project” and the encounter with the local youth. “It is a beautiful union that we should encourage in other churches around the world,” he added.

Earlier at the advocacy and climate justice training, Maura Ramos from El Salvador led the opening worship, urging the delegates to dedicate their lives to the church.

Helping Congregations

Participants drawn from 13 LWF member churches in the LAC region spoke of their local involvement in the fight against climate change, explaining how they help their home congregations learn more about protecting the environment. Projects included recycling units, training on how to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and selling recycled crafts.

“What we are doing is taking one small step toward great change,” said Mexican youth leader Luis Velázquez, who is advocating for recycling in his local community.

Theology student Danielle Dokman from Suriname noted that even as climate change leads to new diseases, disappearing forests and beaches, and worsening poverty, it is difficult to get people in the region to take notice. As Lutherans, it is important to define the relationship between the Creator and creation, while remembering that Christians are co-partners with God, she reflected.

Nahún Stütz from Argentina and Raquel Kleber from Brazil presented “Climate Change—A Challenge to Our Churches,” the international report developed by young delegates who attended the COP18 climate change negotiations as LWF representatives. The report will be presented to the LWF Council in June.

Rev. Ángel Furlan, former president of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELU) in Argentina, spoke on how to implement advocacy efforts in local communities. “When I look into the faces of these young people I see so much potential here,” said Furlan. “They are already making changes.”

Rev. Dr Patricia Cuyatti, LWF area secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, advised the youth leaders to take advantage of the opportunity to meet presidents, bishops and pastors from the different LWF member churches in the region. She emphasized that youth’s voice should be heard in all aspects of LWF’s work.

Soliette Lopez of Nicaragua facilitated a discussion on social networking in church youth work, and a dialogue was held to discuss how to improve such sharing and what methods of communication would work best for the youth.

Caroline Richter, secretary for LWF Youth, presented the LWF youth blog as a platform that young leaders can utilize to share their stories, and she trained the youth on how to start blogging in their networks. She stressed the importance of exchanging ideas face-to-face as well as continuing to network in the region and globally.

During the visit to the “Green Project,” the LAC and Nicaraguan youth jointly painted a mural representing the commitment by youth leaders and churches to climate change advocacy, and a colorful banner on the youth meeting. When the youth delegates delivered their message to the COL church leaders on 18 April, they also presented the banner on advocacy and climate justice.

(By Chelsea Macek, communications consultant for the LWF COL meeting.)