Journey Away: Climate Change Audio Project

After learning about Aurora Robson’s Human Nature Walk, students in Leland & Gray Union High School’s spring 2023 “Journey Away” class on climate change conducted interviews with people in New York, New Jersey, and Louisiana who experienced SuperStorm Sandy and Hurricanes Katrina and Ida. They edited the interviews into the audio segments available below.

The students and their teachers received training from Vermont Folklife, and their work was carried out under the auspices of the Vermont Folklife program Vermont Voices: Developing Cross-Cultural Understanding and Storytelling Skills.

A note from the students: 

The stories people shared had many similarities and followed a general pattern of: before the storm hit, during the storm, and the aftermath. (Click on links to hear audio segments.) We broke the stories down into these three categories and, in the aftermath section, included long-term thinking about the anticipated increase in the numbers and intensity of climate disasters. These stories helped expand our perspective on who is most impacted by these storms and exposed the gravity of climate disasters in a real way. 

Learning how vulnerable our waterways have become to big storms helped us realize how many different stakeholders care deeply about our rivers. One of our interviewees, Elbert Williams, a facilities maintenance manager, reminded us, “we need somebody to help get the job done… teamwork makes it happen.” In another interview, Richie Blink, an educator and boat captain, said, “people who have the ability to flow like water with those changes are the people that are going to do well.”

This project was process-focused and was impactful to us intellectually and personally. For a handful of us, this was our first time outside of New England. Meeting people from other cultures helped us see our cultural differences and similarities with people in New York and Louisiana. We were all present at each oral history and had specific jobs: obtaining permission to record, managing audio equipment, leading the interviews, giving thank you gifts (maple syrup), photographing, and notetaking. When we returned, we each chose an interview and shared highlights with the group, which we have used in our audio project. This is our first time working with audio, and we have learned a lot about the process. We all agree that collecting oral histories was a great way to get to know people while traveling!

Students:
Jules Bowen, Grade 9
Adriana Fairbrother, Grade 9
Harmony Gleason, Grade 9
Marley Felker, Grade 9 
Hammialle Fitzpatrick, Grade 10
Theo Kelloway, Grade 11
Ely White, Grade 10
Grace Wright, Grade 9 

Teachers: 
Jessa Harger, Journey Away Director
Alexa Litchfield, Math faculty & Journey East alum
Rory O’Donnell, Social Studies faculty

Interviewees:
Richie Blink, Educator and Boat Captain, Delta Discovery Tours, Empire, La.
Chris Carmendeau, Train Attendant, Amtrak, New Orleans, La.
Omar Casimire, Executive Director, Katrina National Memorial Museum, New Orleans, La.
Timothy Griffin, Chief of Campus Police, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
John Hellmers, Retired Fire Chief, New Orleans Fire Department, New Orleans, La.
Mohammad Jamus, PhD Candidate in Mathematics, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
John Miller, Research Professor of Coastal Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
Ken Nilsen, Dean of Students, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J. 
Katherine Prevost, President, Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association, New Orleans, La. 
Jacqueline Richards, Professor of Coastal Studies, Nunez Community College, Belle Chasse, La.
Watt Sriboonruang, Owner, Rawsome Treats, Manhattan, N.Y. 
Cydni Stanimirov, General Manager, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Elbert Williams, Facility Maintenance Manager, Borgne Surge Barrier, New Orleans, La.