From Tradition to Climate Action: Malaysian Educator Adelyn Chin Wins SIMA Educator Changemaker Award
“Hope did more than teach; it inspired action. My students understood that supporting communities like the Dayak Iban and applying sustainability principles locally strengthens resilience against climate change. The film bridged global and local perspectives, connecting the experiences of an indigenous Indonesian community to our own DRR efforts at Papar district-a rural area in Sabah, showing that climate solutions—and hope—begin with community.”
Adelyn Chin, educator from Sabah, Malaysia, is the winner for the SIMA Educator Changemaker Award. As part of the APCEIU SDG Challenge, Adelyn screened Hope to her students, a film about the indigenous peoples of Sungai Utik, the Dayak Iban, protecting their forests through strong traditions, showing that supporting indigenous communities is vital for conservation and climate solutions. Through this story, the educator chose to highlight traditional knowledge and collective stewardship and their importance to protect both the environment and community bonds while also encouraging students to connect with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Climate Action.
Q&A WITH SIMA
Why did you choose the SIMA Academy film Hope?
The film naturally connected to our recent SMK Takis DRR initiatives. I chose the SIMA Academy film Hope because it powerfully shows how the Dayak Iban community protects their forests through traditional knowledge, culture, and collective action despite climate and industrial pressures. The film deeply resonated with my students, connecting global climate issues (SDG 13) to our local experiences in Papar, Sabah, especially in disaster risk reduction. It inspired meaningful discussion and real action, helping students see that effective climate solutions begin with community, tradition, and shared responsibility.
How did the screening meet your objectives for the overall event?
The screening met our objectives by engaging students emotionally and culturally, helping them connect global climate challenges to local realities in the Papar district. Hope sparked meaningful discussions on SDG 13, inspired practical school and community projects, and motivated students to apply traditional knowledge, teamwork, and environmental stewardship to build real climate resilience.
Can you tell us if and how this event changed the audience’s awareness of the subject matter?
After watching Hope, students better understood that climate change and resilience are rooted in local action, traditional knowledge, and community stewardship—not just policies or technology. Inspired, students proposed projects such as documenting local ecological practices, launching climate-awareness campaigns, and creating a “mini forest” at school using native plants and sustainable methods. Ultimately, Hope became a catalyst for action, helping students see how global lessons from the Dayak Iban can be applied in Papar district—affirming that meaningful climate solutions begin with community engagement and respect for traditional wisdom.
What were the main topics of discussion at the event?
My students noticed parallels between the Dayak Iban’s collective care for the forest and our community’s efforts in disaster risk reduction—tree planting, waterway monitoring, and preparedness campaigns. Both highlight the importance of teamwork, awareness, and local action in building resilience against environmental challenges. This led to meaningful conversations about SDG 13—climate action—and the power of local communities in addressing climate challenges. Students began to see that protecting the environment is not just global but deeply local, and that traditional knowledge can offer practical solutions for climate resilience. These discussions helped my students understand that climate action combines culture, knowledge, and community engagement.
Please share a memorable moment during your event.
As a teacher leading this campaign, the experience of implementing the Hope-inspired lessons was both humbling and empowering. I learned that meaningful climate education happens when students connect emotionally and culturally to the issue—not just academically. Watching how my students drew parallels between the Dayak Iban community’s forest stewardship and our own local context in Papar showed me that true learning occurs when global lessons are grounded in local realities. Integrating the Tinaru Tohunduk DRR modules across subjects reminded me that resilience is not built in isolation; it grows through collaboration, reflection, and lived experience.
The best part of the project was witnessing my students take ownership of their learning. Their curiosity, creativity, and compassion came alive through activities like rotational farming, the “Tin for Hope” food drive, and the communal clean-up program. Seeing them transform knowledge into concrete community action was profoundly rewarding—they were no longer just learners, but leaders and advocates for climate resilience.
