Case study from Solomon Islands Red Cross By Julie Webb (posted on behalf of the Australian Red Cross Youth E-zine)

1. Engaging Solomon Islands Youth in Climate Change Action
Case study from Solomon Islands Red Cross
By Julie Webb
HANGING OUT IN SOLOMON ISLANDS
Solomon Islands is a society where the power and decision making authority is traditionally
based on seniority so young people have long faced challenges when trying to voice their
concerns or when trying to participate in decision-making. This is an even bigger issue because
Solomon Islands has a very young population – with people under 29 making up 69 per cent of
the population. 1 People aged between fifteen and twenty-nine make up twenty-nine per cent of
the total population, but in urban areas the percentage is higher at thirty-six per cent, making
youth issues of particular concern. 2
An International Labor Organisation study in 2001 found
that about 7,500 young people enter the workforce each
year, but that the maximum increase in employment
since 1982 has only been 3,800 places. 3 Youth
unemployment or underemployment is seen as a chronic
issue is Solomon Islands.
There has been an increasing drift to Honiara on
Guadalcanal in the years since Independence in 1978
and there are more and more urban settlements in and
around Honiara with very limited physical and social
Sport plays a big part of life for young infrastructure. For young people who have come to
people in Honiara Honiara from their rural village with their families or in
search of better education or work opportunities the
disempowerment can be even greater, as there is the compounding loss of a sense of place
and community connections; particularly when the opportunities fail to materialise. Young
people here are even less well supported.
BARRIERS TO GETTING INVOLVED
As a young person growing up in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, George Baragamu
says the hardest thing was making connections with other people so he could have access to
opportunities – for work and for fun. George started as a volunteer with Red Cross in 2006
because he wanted to take the initiative to find his own opportunities. His time at Red Cross
has been a good exchange. George has gained professional experience and a paid job as the
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction officer, and Red Cross has a passionate and
intelligent young employee who inspires others through the Climate Change Program. It has
also been a chance for the national society to learn how to engage young people in Solomon
Islands. George has created an active group of young volunteers to deliver climate change
activities and through this he has expanded the connections and linkages for the young
volunteers.
George says young people face difficulty in making connections with other young people and
joining existing networks and youth groups – which can help them to build social networks and
find opportunities. Existing groups can tend to be closed and insular and are often focussed in
a specific area or church. In addition, many existing youth groups do not have a strong female
presence so are not inclusive of all young people.
1
Department of Finance and Treasury, Solomon Islands Statistics Office, Household Income and
Expenditure Survey 2005/6: National Report Honiara, September 2006.
2
Although the majority of the population live in rural areas, there has been drift to Honiara on Guadalcanal
in the years since Independence in 1978. The resulting pressure on land and jobs in the urban centre led
to an outbreak of ethnic conflict in 1998 – 2003, primarily between the people of Guadalcanal and those
from Malaita who made up the majority of the domestic migrants to Honiara.
3
International Labor Organisation 2001 Employment Opportunities for Youth in the Solomon Islands
Suva: International Labour Organisation.

2. George says that young people in Solomon Islands face particular challenges because most
government policy and legislation do not reflect youth issues and so they are left vulnerable.
Things are changing slowly. In 2007 the government established a Ministry of Women, Youth
and Children's Affairs and launched the policy goal:
To uphold and promote the rights of...young people...through effective partnership and
strong commitment, thereby creating equal opportunities for all to advance the
wellbeing of this nation. 4
Along with the establishment of the Ministry there are other positive steps emerging such as the
establishment of the Youth Division at Honiara City Council that has a role in linking up existing
youth groups.
Another barrier for young people is the education system. A growing number of children are
unable to enrol in primary school due to a lack of schools and teachers to meet the demands of
a population explosion. Many young people are also prematurely pushed out of the education
system because each year, especially after grade six, the number of school places reduces. 5
There can also be pressure to seek paid employment early to contribute to the family income,
but there are little employment opportunities for young people. 6
The lack of employment and education opportunities and the difficulty in making connections
mean that many youth ‘stap nomoa’ meaning they stay at home and don’t do a lot, waiting for
opportunities and connections to come to them. Young people are also most often financially
dependent on their family for support, a disempowering situation that is particularly hard in
Honiara where, as George says, “money is key to everything”.
A study in 2003 7 reported that the widespread
issues identified by young men and women and their
communities across the Solomon Islands focus in
five areas:
Learning opportunities
Participation
Livelihoods
Youth activities
Reproductive health.
Central Market Honiara
SOLOMON ISLANDS RED CROSS
Solomon Islands Red Cross is a National Society with twenty-one paid employees in their
headquarters and the four provincial branches. As well as Climate Change and Disaster Risk
Reduction it delivers programs that focus on health awareness, disaster management,
dissemination, blood donor recruitment, welfare and first aid training. It has four active branches
in some of the most remote areas of the country.
Solomon Islands Red Cross has looked at the growing population of young, urban people with
a lot of time on their hands as an opportunity. Red Cross has been working to engage young
people in their programs and activities as a way to address some of these issues and that
improve the lives of Solomon Islanders. Nancy Jolo, Secretary General says that engaging
young people like George to lead their programs is one way to promote youth development and
it is an opportunity for them to take leading roles with responsibility and challenge. It is a
4
Policy Goal 24 of the Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement Government Policy
Statements (CNURA), January 2008. CNURA Translation and Implementation Framework, February 2008
5
United Nations Development Program MDGs In The Pacific The Challenge of Securing MDG Gains in
Solomon Islands 13 Feb 2007
6
Hassall and Associates International, 2003, Youth in Solomon Islands: A Participatory Study of Issues,
Needs and Priorities, Final Report.
7
Hassall and Associates International, 2003, Youth in Solomon Islands: A Participatory Study of Issues,
Needs and Priorities, Final Report.

3. chance for young people to develop their work skills and gain important work experience.
George is a good example of a volunteer who has gone on to formal employment in his case
within the Red Cross. The chance for skills development and work experience is valuable for
young people and involvement in the Red Cross is also a great way for them to build their
networks.
The devastating earthquake (magnitude 8.1) and tsunami that hit the Western and Choiseul
Provinces in April 2007 were a test of the skills and capacity of Solomon Islands Red Cross.
The death toll was in excess of 50 people, with an estimated 9,000 people displaced. Damage
to housing and other infrastructure was significant. Solomon Islands Red Cross and the
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are in the final stage of
their rehabilitation work in the Western Province. In the relief operation the majority of
volunteers were young people. They had the energy, strength and the time to give to the
operation, as they didn’t have family commitments.
THE CLIMATE CHANGE PROBLEM IN SOLOMON ISLANDS
George says that he is committed to working in climate change because it is a cross cutting
issue – it will affect all other sectors of society in a country that is vulnerable to climate impacts.
Climate change is already having an impact here in the Solomon Islands. Villages have
experienced:
Rising sea-levels
Salt water intrusion into crops and planting fields
Contamination of fresh water aquifers and
Greater erosion along the shorelines, thus reducing Island size
There are also increasing reports of new experiences such as drought in some areas for the
first time, as in the Reef Islands, Temotu Province. In other parts of the country normal high
tides are now increasing in size due to sea level rise. The frequency and the intensity of
cyclones are also changing, resulting in more flooding than before and more loss of property
and lives. This means more disaster response by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
and the Solomon Islands Red Cross Society. 8 These impacts mean that all the 900 islands –
whether they are atolls, artificial or mountainous islands – will feel the impacts of climate
change.
The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change identifies small island states such as Solomon
Islands as particularly at risk from climate change impacts. 9 The economies and small
communities in Solomon Islands are highly dependent on agriculture and fishing for their
livelihoods, both of which are very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and there are
associated increases in the occurrence of natural hazards.
The contribution of the pacific to global emissions is tiny in comparison to the severity of the
impacts starting to be felt. From Solomon Islands perspective George points out that
“somewhere else in the world people have done things and keep doing things that have created
the climate change problem. It wasn’t even my generation it was the older generations that did
most of the damage”. George distinguishes climate change from other important issues facing
young people such as HIV. With HIV he says that, “if you can raise the awareness of a young
person to change their behaviour they will change their behaviour and they won’t get HIV”. But
with climate change it doesn’t matter what is done here in Solomon Islands to reduce emissions
as the impacts will still be felt.
8
Solomon Islands Red Cross 2008 Preparedness for Climate Change Background Document:
Consequences of Climate Change for Humanitarian Work Through the Eyes of Solomon Islands Red
Cross
9 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report
Summary for Policymakers

4. THE CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAM
With climate change impacts already being felt in Solomon Islands 10 it is important for the SIRC
to prepare for it. Engaging young people is important in responding to climate change as they
have a long life ahead of them – to both feel the impacts but also to make a difference and, as
George points out, they aren’t as stuck in their ways.
Climate change is resulting in increased climate variability and for an already disaster prone
country this is of great concern, in the short and long term. Disaster risk management is a key
focus of the Solomon Islands Red Cross Strategic Plan 2005 – 2009 and focuses in two key
areas:
Disaster and emergency response and
Community Based Disaster preparedness and risk reduction
In the Federation 2020 Strategy one of the four core areas is the response to weather and
climate related disasters. The SIRC embarked on the Climate Change Program in February
2007 in recognition of “the importance of the impacts of climate change on human life and
wellbeing” according to Nancy Jolo Secretary General. The Climate Change Program in
particular has been active in showing how the enthusiasm and energy of young people can be
an asset to program delivery with the establishment of the Climate Change and Disaster Risk
Reduction Team that work together to deliver some of the program activities. The group is
made up of young people, reflecting both the use of climate change as an avenue to engage
young people but also the commitment and interest young people are showing in the issue.
This makes the team both a climate change team as well as a youth group which is great as a
motivator for the young people and as George says:
“When you are psyched up you can do more and when you get together with other
people you can really psych each other up and achieve a lot”
George also points out that because young people are involved in all sectors through their roles
in work, families, sporting clubs, churches and at school, engaging them is a great way to
expand the reach of the program to these organisations. It is also a good way to get input and
feedback from these different sectors and organisations on climate change issues and
Solomon Islands Red Cross programs.
Some of the activities that Solomon Islands Red Cross have involved youth on in their Climate
Change Program so far include:
School awareness programs on climate change integrated with disaster risk reduction
Engaged a group of young people to train them in concepts of
climate change. They then became peer educators that went
to schools and communities to run sessions with others.
There is a new generation to train each year. Form Four -
around sixteen or seventeen years olds – were targeted. SIRC
are working with schools to make climate change awareness
part of the assessment for school progress.
Students at a climate change awareness session
Poster competition with mentorship from artist’s association as part of World
Environment Day 2007
10
Solomon Islands Red Cross 2008 Preparedness for Climate Change Background Document:
Consequences of Climate Change for Humanitarian Work Through the Eyes of Solomon Islands Red
Cross

5. Within Honiara city students were invited to submit entries
in a poster competition after the climate change
awareness sessions. The posters were representations of
the impacts of climate change in the pacific. The winning
entries are printed up as posters to distribute publicly to
the wider community and to other schools. A panel of
judges considered the accuracy of the images, originality,
and creativity when they judged the posters. The young
artists got the chance to work on their posters with the help
of a representative from the Solomon Island’s Artists
Association.
Winning artists in the Poster Competition
Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction village assessment
An assessment was undertaken in the isolated and vulnerable Newland Artificial Island North
Malaita using an approach based on the Red Cross Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment as
well as other climate change awareness raising tools. In the consultations, SIRC created an
avenue for youth to voice their concerns in the process as it was run by a youth. The main
issue facing the community is access to water resources. At present they rely either on catching
rain in the few water catchment tanks they have or paddle dug out canoes to the mainland –
both of which are weather dependent activities. With changing rainfall and wind patterns they
are becoming more vulnerable to water shortages. Installing more water storage attached to
the buildings on the islands with permanent roofs such as the church was identified as the
highest priority for the community.
Radio programme with quizzes for youth on World Disaster Reduction Day
SIRC worked with the National Disaster Management Office in designing and delivering a
school student focussed radio quiz about how to reduce risks of disasters or impacts of
disasters. It was done on the FM stations that are favoured by a young audience and it was
done in the afternoon when students are back from school. Using radio meant that a further
reach than inside Honiara could be made.
SIRC plays an active role in advocacy and youth networks
Since SIRC started the Climate Change Program many other agencies have become active.
SIRC is a key stakeholder in consultations and in supporting other agencies. It is represented
at the national level in the development of the National Adaptation Plan of Action and the
Second National Communication stakeholder consultations as both a presenter and as a
participant in key national policy development and as such is both a Red Cross advocate as
well as a youth advocate.
SIRC participates in other youth events and youth networks to share climate change
information and the program activities of SIRC in climate change. As a young person heads up
the SIRC climate change program there is a strong role to play in youth and climate change
issues.
SIRC is running awareness programs for the youth groups involved in the International Youth
Day 2008 that has the theme of climate change to raises their awareness of the issues.
Clean Up The World Day 2007
Solomon Islands Youth for Change and SIRC got together to coordinate the Clean Up The
World Day campaign in 2007. They worked with a big group of young people to clean up
around town picking up rubbish along main roads and clearing weeds.
FUTURE WORK IN CLIMATE CHANGE
On top of the disempowerment facing young people already in Solomon Islands, climate
change is an issue that could be even more disempowering for a young person here. But,
rather than giving up George says that engaging young people in climate change activities and
raising awareness makes them feel they can do something and make a difference to their
communities. The Climate Change Program has been able to make use of the energy and
enthusiasm of young people and expand the program’s reach.

6. There are future focus areas for the work of the Climate Change Program at SIRC.
More school awareness – every there is a new generation of students and continued
awareness programs are needed to continue the education process
Decentralise the program to all parts of the country – the whole of the Solomon Islands is
vulnerable to climate impacts but there needs to be a focus on communities who are really
on the ‘front line’ in particular because of their lack of capacity to adapt.
Advocate for the involvement of youth in
all sectors of climate chance policy and
planning at the national level and
empower youth to get involved in decision
making themselves
Make connections between youth at the
community and those at the national level
– Red Cross can act ‘a bridge’ between
them to give local young people access to
Young People working together to clean up
decision making
Honiara as part of Clean Up the World Day 2007
Work with schools to integrate climate
change into education curriculum perhaps
making it compulsory and part of the assessment, with links to other topics also covered at
school
Continue Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Team activities to expand their
empowerment and capacity building. As George says networks and connections are
important for young people and through the team they can keep on “psyching each other
up!”
tingting lo climate change – tingting lo action – tingting lo youth!
think climate change – think action – think youth!