Youth sharing stories of connection to earth and the environment, across cultures and generations.

Gente de la Tierra

Gente de la Tierra (“People of the Earth”) engages youth from all over the world to share  how members of their communities relate to the  environment and its natural resources. We hope this experience will empower youth participants to act on environmental issues affecting their community. And through their storytelling and photography, we are learning more about the universal connection we ALL have with the earth.

Take part

Teachers, classrooms, community organizations, and programs working with youth (ages 14 to 21) anywhere in the world are invited to join in this endeavor.

Are you a part of a school or extra-curricular club that might want to be a part of Gente de la Tierra? It’s easy!  Participating students and youth can contribute stories from their communities by following our simple steps:

  1. Identify a community or family member who the student would like to interview.
  2. Get permission from the interviewee and Prepare for the interview (we’ll provide some  basic tips.)
  3. Set up and conduct your  interview and grab a few photos!
  4. Email our team the interview content and photos.
  5. That’s it! Our team will curate and post your content and you will officially be a contributor!
  6. Like, follow, and share to enjoy profiles from “people of the earth” from all over the world!

Reach out to our team if you have questions or intend to do the project with a group of youth. Please provide us information about your program and a point of contact. This will help us follow up with you and keep an eye out for your submissions.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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Do the youth do this content creation independently? 

We advise that youth be introduced to the process by a teacher or adult who can help support the activity.  Historically, teachers in environmental science and other classrooms have included this activity as a classroom assignment. Those teachers helped the students prepare and ensured that the process was completed.  However, students go to do the interview with a trusted and familiar interviewee on their own, and use their smartphone for photos.

Who will see the content or posts? 

Our Instagram, Facebook, and website content is public.

How will youth and interviewees be identified?

We do not name or identify the content creators in the photoblog post.  We only use the photos first names, age, occupation, and location of the interviewee, who has given permission.

How do students select interviewees? 

We recommend that they choose an individual who they know and are familiar with, but perhaps with whom they have not yet discussed the relationship with nature. The interviewees do not need to have a personal or professional focus on environmentalism, science, or nature. Everyone has a relationship with nature, and this is what we want to highlight!

What kind of permission is required for the interview? 

We provide sample language for students to share with their proposed interviewees in written form to explain how their interview and name and likeness will be used on the photoblog so that they can do the interview with full knowledge of how the content will be used. By conducting the interview after receiving this information, the interviewee gives informed consent.

How do students know what to ask in the interview? 

We provide suggested questions that relate to the theme of the photoblog. Students often practice using these in class before they conduct their interviews and can customize the flow of their interview as they see fit. We collect only a small portion of the content they obtain on the photoblog.

How does the interview content become a photoblog post? 

Our team reviews the content we receive from students’ email submissions, and do a little curation to ensure that the content is aligned with our photoblog’s theme, copyedited, and that the photo looks good. We publish the passages that work best for the purpose of the project, rather than the full text we receive.

What do students, classrooms, and programs get out of this? 

Students learn how to conduct an interview and they get to know the individual they interview better (perhaps learning new things about their teacher, grandmother, neighbor, or friend!). They learn about our interdependence and relationship with the natural environment, and concerns affecting their community. They also learn about the global community by following the photoblog and connecting with others who contribute to the project.  Our colleagues in various communities around the world have linked this simple activity to a variety of curricular learning objectives and standards in various disciplines.

The Guide/La Guia

When you are ready to start the project, check out the guide for more information. The guide includes interview questions, practice tips, how to obtain permission, how to submit content to our team, and more.

Download La Guia (en español)

Download the Guide (in English)

Stories from Gente de la Tierra

Check out our Instagram for more
stories from Gente de la Tierra!

StoryMap

Visit our StoryMap to see the reach of Gente de La Tierra! Explore an interactive map featuring stories and images from communities across the globe.