Glasgow Bound: The Journey of Four Students Working with the UN on Climate Change

| Video by Bethany Johnson

Keziah Gerosano, Jules Ballaran, Abigail Adams and Tyler Gebhart are attending the 16th United Nations Conference of Youth (COY16) in Glasgow, Scotland on Oct. 30, 2021.

Growing up in the Philippines in the typhoon belt, Keziah Gerosano experienced the effects of global warming first-hand.

“Floods became more frequent, and as a result of this, vulnerable communities lost their homes, lost their loved ones,” Gerosano said. “As a young girl growing up in that norm, I got involved myself with relief efforts.”

In 2019, Gerosano attended the United Nations Youth Assembly where she began networking, eventually becoming the COY16 Partnerships and Grants Coordinator.

The conference is the largest youth gathering around the world with young people from over 120 countries attending. It takes place prior to the United Nations climate change negotiations and is the only youth conference with the capacity to influence climate policy on an international scale.

Gerosano met Jules Ballaran while she was attending The King’s College. Ballaran, a sophomore at King’s, also grew up in the Philippines. They connected over their shared ethnicity and experiences in vulnerable communities affected by climate change. Gerosano recruited Ballaran as the COY16 Fund Development Coordinator.

“I’m representing my small country on the big stage. My presence being there — my skin color being represented there — as an organizer is a big pride for me,” Ballaran said.

Abigail Adams, a sophomore at King’s, and Gerosano met through another climate organization, unaware they attended the same college at the time. Gerosano also recruited Adams as a fundraising officer. 

Gerosano, Ballaran and Adams work pro-bono, having contributed hundreds of hours to organizing the conference. In prior years, the conference paid for its organizers’ travel expenses and accommodations, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, donating companies limited their funds, leaving the three women to fund their trip to Scotland. 

They initially turned to The King’s College to ask for financial support or connections to those who could provide financial support. Their request was denied by President Tim Gibson.

“The King’s College does not have a fund or mechanism for financially supporting individual student trips or special projects, be they in connection to internships or otherwise,” Megan Dishman said in an email. “While College support is not possible, President Gibson is glad these students are pursuing their interests and have the unique opportunity to interact with a current topic on the global stage.”

However, Ballaran feels there is sometimes a feeling of division between the students at King’s and the administration. “In more ways than this, I’ve felt not a lot of support,” she commented. 

The Climate Reality Project, where Gerosano and Adams met, agreed to fund all three of the women’s flights. 

The three approached Tyler Gebhart, a sophomore at King’s, to do videography with Exposure Labs at the conference in exchange that he attends the conference for free. 

“The reason why I want to be there in person is because I want to be able to represent the Philippines and the United States in the youth statement and really push for interdisciplinary climate literacy approaches,” Gerosano said.

Ballaran concluded, “You feel seen for what almost feels like the very first time.”