In late July, on the shores of the northern Pacific, a wave of young creatives and climate-minded thinkers gathered for something more than a “camp”: it was a movement. The Climate Adaptation Arts Seminar 2025 (CAAS) — organised by Jo-Jikum and held in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro from July 28 to August 8, 2025 — pulled together more than 50 Marshallese youths from across the islands to explore the intersection of culture, creativity and climate adaptation.
What was on the agenda
- Workshops ranged from photography, painting and song-writing to traditional weaving, each one rooted in climate-change themes and the unique heritage of the atolls.
- Participants engaged in role-play games, presentations on national adaptation strategies (including the national adaptation plan), LiDAR sea-level rise modelling, and sessions blending traditional knowledge with modern science.
- The seminar culminated in a “Showcase Night” where youth displayed their art, performances and community narratives — reinforcing that resilience is first and foremost human, cultural and collective.
Why it matters
For the Marshall Islands — an archipelago already navigating rising seas, nuclear legacies and fragile ecosystems — adaptation isn’t a future problem, it’s now. CAAS flips the lens: instead of only infrastructure and policy, the focus is on creativity, youth voice and culture as engines of change.
The youth weren’t just learners; they became storytellers, interpreters and agents of adaptation.
Key takeaways
- More than 50 youth under 18 participated from different atolls and schools.
- Topics spanned national adaptation frameworks, health and energy sectors, loss & damage, traditional knowledge and modern data-driven models.
- Art and culture were central: weaving workshops, photography, song, dance and visual story-telling gave voice to climate issues rooted in place and identity.
- The event is part of a broader push to bridge youth, culture and climate action in the Pacific — a region where adaptation is urgent and local knowledge is essential.
What comes next
The fruits of CAAS don’t stay in a gallery. Jo-Jikum aims to channel the works, the voices and the energy into ongoing campaigns, community workshops and broader national dialogues on adaptation. The youth’s expressions become fuel for policy, education and cultural continuity.
Watch for exhibitions, digital storytelling, and follow-up workshops pulsing out of this seminar.
Gallery
