As part of the “Resilience Through Ages” initiative, we are offering Young Artists, Storytellers, and Advocates an opportunity to participate in the implementation of the project by creating environmental storytelling and filmmaking content. The young artists will work with the Wastezon team to co-create, visually document, and illustrate several stories through 8  7-minute short films that will later be compiled into a 60-minute  docuseries. After workshops about climate resiliency and storytelling,  artists will be paired with community elders and work closely with the Wastezon’s videography team to capture and document the intersection of traditional and modern climate resiliency efforts. The produced 60-minute docuseries will be showcased in different schools across the country to inspire climate resilience among Rwandan youth in our communities. 

The project was conceived after completing Biodiversity Through Ages, (BTA), a previous initiative focused on creating intergenerational dialogue in biodiversity conservation. BTA was key in promoting sustainable environmental practices and enhancing biodiversity protection. Among other activities, the project created 100 paintings that tell the stories of 100 plant and animal species at risk of extinction. These paintings are exhibited in the Kigali Green Gallery to raise awareness and share the stories of these endangered species. This initiative highlighted the importance of conservation strategies that support long-term ecosystem balance and stability. Building upon this foundation, “Resilience Through Ages” expands the focus by integrating the intergenerational exchange of knowledge, ensuring that both past wisdom and modern innovation inform conservation efforts. These two projects are intertwined, as the lessons learned from “Biodiversity Through Ages” serve as a guiding light for this new initiative, thus emphasizing the idea that resilience in biodiversity conservation requires ecological strategies and cultural continuity.