The Voice of an Island by Lupe Vaai

Santo Domingo Savio School - Úbeda, SPAIN

These activities are part of the ERASMUS+ project LISTEN. They are associated with THEME 2: “Listen to the voice of Air and Water”  

HOW CAN LITERATURE TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE?

We must recognise the importance of the storyteller as an effector of change. Writers are crucial in helping us imagine a voice for what is too easily reduced to just ‘climate’ or ‘environment’ or ‘the planet’. Not only we need people who can translate the gravity of our situation, but we need writers to do what they do best: to give voice to the voiceless, to translate the language of the earth, to create empathy for our world and help construct a culture where we are connected meaningfully to this thing we call ‘nature’.

By reading this inspiring book, students understood that "no matter how small you are, you can make a dent in the world if you believe in yourself".

It is mandatory to become aware of the need to protect the environment and the Earth due to it is the only place we have to live.

SUMMARY: 

Katalina is a girl from a tiny island in the Pacific called Samoa. Growing up in a polluted environment filled with dust and rubbish, she makes up her mind that this is not the future she wants to see for herself, her family and her friends. Therefore, she creates a Green Team at St Mary’s School so as to stop climate change and to build a better quality of life for everyone. A journey which takes her from her tiny island all the way to New York to show that no matter how small you are, you can "make a dent" in the world.

EXPLANATION: 

Prepared for inclusive education, the reading book was chosen to tell students about climate change and air and water pollution. Considering that this change will affect the whole world in the near future, it becomes a necessity that students and teachers should be prepared for the process. 

Katalina, the protagonist of the book, creates a Green Team and tries to change the behaviour of the people who live in Samoa. 

                 Can the proposals be extrapolated to the rest of the world?

         What can we do to improve the air and water quality in our community?

You can see everything related with this part of the project in the Google Sites (link) below.

https://sites.google.com/ubeda.salesianos.edu/voices-in-a-changing-worl…

Other amazing books you can use are:

The Case of Tarik and the White Crow - The Tree of Hope - Ami, Child of Stars - Finding the Language...