Laudato Youth from our Laudato Si Clubs: Nyakasura School, St. Maria Goretti Girls SS, and Divine Mercy SS together with their patrons held a memorable nature walk under the theme “Analyzing the Interconnection between Nature and Humanity.” The journey took them to the Rift Valley Viewpoint along Bundibugyo Road and later to the amazing Sempaya Hot Springs in Semuliki National Park. More than a nature walk, its provided them with an experiential hands-on and observational learning opportunity that guided groups of students and their mentors to gather and reflect on what they had observed in order to help them strengthen and renew their commitment to caring for our common home.
At the Rift Valley Viewpoint, the Laudato Youth were struck by the beauty of the surrounding landscape, but they also noticed something concerning: the vegetation was visibly drying. This observation sparked reflection about the changing environment and the relationship between climate, vegetation, water and human wellbeing.
Mr. Daniel Rusahura, one of the club patrons noted that “the dry vegetation is a practical reminder that environmental changes are not distant problems; they can be seen around us and can directly affect communities, agriculture, biodiversity and water resources.
As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, “everything is connected.”
The journey continued towards Semuliki National Park, an area renowned for its rich biodiversity and lowland tropical forest. The change in landscape gave the Laudato Youth an opportunity to appreciate the variety of ecosystems that exist within the Albertine Rift. Through the experience, they were reminded that forests, rivers, wildlife, soil and people depend on one another. Protecting one part of the ecosystem contributes to the wellbeing of the whole.
At Sempaya Hot Springs, the Laudato Youth encountered one of Uganda’s most fascinating natural wonders. The area has two major hot springs, Bintente and Nyasimbi, with Nyasimbi’s boiling waters reaching approximately 103°C. Watching steam rise from the Earth provided a memorable lesson in geology and showed the Laudato Youth showed nature can become a living classroom. Surrounded by forest and biodiversity, the springs also helped students prove that geological processes, ecosystems and human communities are all part of one interconnected natural world.
Laudato Si Clubs Uniting for Climate Action
Although the students came from different schools, they discovered that the environment is a shared responsibility. Rivers, forests, air and climate do not recognize school boundaries. What affects one community can eventually affect another, making collaboration and collective action essential. Thus raising the need for all people to unite for climate action as they are always taught in their Laudato Si clubs.
The Nature Walk
The nature walk also reminded the Laudato Youth that environmental education should go beyond knowing facts. It should inspire action. The drying vegetation they observed, the biodiversity they encountered and the wonders of Sempaya challenged them to think about what they can do in their own families, schools and communities to protect nature. Planting and caring for trees, conserving water, reducing waste and protecting biodiversity are simple actions that can contribute to a healthier environment.
For the Laudato Youth, the green action was therefore more than a walk. It was a journey from seeing to understanding, from understanding to responsibility, and from responsibility to action. It showed that nature is not simply something around us; it is the foundation upon which human life depends.
As the students returned home, they carried with them not only memories of the Rift Valley and Sempaya Hot Springs, but also good memories of the social moments, the eggs they boiled, birds they watched this was a pathway towards a renewed sense of responsibility. In the last remarks from their teacher patrons and mentors was may ‘The experience always remind them that caring for creation is also caring for humanity. As Pope Francis beautifully expressed in Laudato Si’, “everything is connected.”
The walk may have ended, but its message continues: inspiring our young people to protect our common home beginning with learning to see, LS 1 (What is happening to our common home)? appreciate, take personal actions and unite with others care for the world of which we are all a part, a vision of behavior Change encouraged in Laudato Si Clubs.
