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School hosts first climate talks session with world leaders

Kelvinside Academy played host to a meeting of senior delegates attending the climate talks.

Kelvinside Academy has played host to a meeting of senior delegates attending the climate talks in Glasgow.

Epsy Campbell, vice-president of Costa Rica, and US Congressman Gregory Meeks, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, met at the school.

They were joined by Mia Motley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

The senior figures are members of the Afro-Interamerican Forum on Climate Change.

Other representatives came from the Sustainable Panama Foundation, Conservation International and ONECA Organización Negra Centroamericana.

It is the first time the group has met for discussions and it looked at how community-based conservation could be key to the climate crisis.

The group chose the school because of the forward-thinking work at its Nuvu innovation learning hub.

Conclusions from the event were documented by S6 pupils at Kelvinside Academy.

Their report will be presented at an event at the Panama Pavilion at COP26. 

Luis Gilberto Murillo, fellow at MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, convened the special session. 

Left to right - Martha Armstrong (S6); Marcela Angel, Research Associate MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (co-organizer and facilitator); Luis Gilberto Murillo, MIT ESI´s MLK fellow, and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia (co-convener); Hannah Fairbairn (S6); Sylvia Siqueira, Executive Director, Nuestra America Verde and Marley Boweh (S6) at Kelvinside Academy's NuVu Innovation School. Photo: Elaine Livingstone.
Left to right - Martha Armstrong (S6); Marcela Angel, Research Associate MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (co-organizer and facilitator); Luis Gilberto Murillo, MIT ESI´s MLK fellow, and former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia (co-convener); Hannah Fairbairn (S6); Sylvia Siqueira, Executive Director, Nuestra America Verde and Marley Boweh (S6) at Kelvinside Academy's NuVu Innovation School. Photo: Elaine Livingstone.

He said: “The design and innovation work happening at Kelvinside Academy through their partnership with NuVu created the ideal atmosphere for today's COP26 event, which was a space for global Afro-descendant leaders to think deeply and creatively about the climate issues affecting their communities, and to connect directly with youth who bring a unique perspective, vision, and urgency to the climate challenges impacting the world.”

The £2.6m school  - the first full-time innovation school for young people in the UK - was designed in partnership with Boston-based NuVu, which was founded by a trio of MIT graduates.

The school aims to develop the workforce of the future and help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.

The design and innovation work happening at Kelvinside Academy through their partnership with NuVu created the ideal atmosphere for today's COP26 event ...

Luis Gilberto Murillo

S6 pupil Evie Smith said: “At NuVu, we are taken out of normal classes to solve real world problems. 

“Today, we had the chance to see hugely influential leaders come together to discuss two of the most important issues facing us today - racial justice and climate.

“It’s inspired everyone in the school. Being able to play a small part in these discussions by taking notes on their behalf showed how small the world is and how we can all make a difference.”

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