When I first arrived at Bioneers, I saw many young people that care about the environment. On the last day, there was a workshop that I particularly enjoyed. It was a small group, so I did not feel shy talking to them. We talked about climate change and plastic pollution and how we felt about it. Everyone had similar feelings. Some of us live in a small town, where there is nature everywhere, but some lived in the city and were not that lucky.

I met a third-grade girl who spoke better than some adults I have heard present. She helped me remember that there is faith in the youth. She made me realize that YES, we are here and our voices need to be heard. And YES this is our planet, our mother, and we need to take care of her.

My favorite part of Bioneers was when a woman was reading the apology she always wanted to hear from her Dad, the man who sexually abused her for ten years. Her story made me tear up. I thought her speech was not going to get better, but it did. She apologized to Mother Earth, and her words stuck with me. “I am sorry, the bees that are dying…” and just like her I am sorry that we humans have made the Earth a place where ecosystems are dying, a place where the air is limited because of us because many people value money more than their children’s future.

I loved the experience at Bioneers and hope to come back in the future. 

It was truly a self-reflecting experience.