Diella did not immediately feel comfortable speaking up.

Climate Tracker Asia was her first bootcamp, and being part of a small group of fellows meant there were plenty of opportunities to participate. For someone who describes herself as shy, that took some getting used to.

But as the weeks went on, the conversations became easier. Diella started sharing more, listening to what the other fellows cared about and discovering how differently each person approached the climate crisis.

She also began seeing climate change differently.

What once seemed primarily like an environmental subject expanded into something connected to food, politics and many other parts of everyday life. Just as importantly, Diella realized that a climate story did not have to begin with technical expertise. It could begin with something she already cared about. 

Finding the people behind the issue

One lesson stayed with Diella throughout the fellowship: climate stories are rarely just about the climate.

There are policies and scientific evidence to understand, but there are also people experiencing their effects in different ways. For Diella, listening to those experiences can make the larger issue easier to understand without losing sight of the evidence.

She became particularly interested in how lived experience can strengthen a story. Data can establish what is happening, but speaking with people can show what those changes actually mean in daily life.

That idea would eventually shape the story she chose to pursue.

What does climate change mean for childhood?

Together with fellow Lara Almeida, Diella is developing a multimedia story about climate change and childhood in the Philippines.

Instead of approaching young people only through statistics or broad descriptions of a generation facing climate change, they want to hear directly from them.

For Diella, that has meant talking with friends and classmates and discovering how differently people her age experience childhood. The story explores how a changing climate can intersect with school, daily routines, and young people’s physical and mental well-being. 

The project has also pushed Diella to think more carefully about how climate stories are communicated. Complex ideas still need research and evidence, but they also need to be explained in ways people can understand. Bringing in community experiences can help make those ideas more concrete and human. 

For Diella, the process has been as much about becoming more comfortable asking questions as it has been about finding answers. She began Climate Tracker Asia as one of the quieter members of the cohort. By the end, she was more willing to speak, more curious about other people’s experiences and more confident about pursuing stories alongside others.