Sipayik student earns spot on Sustainable Communities project

What can each of person do to make their communities a better place? For Taliah Doughty, an eighth grader at Sipayik Elementary School, that is the primary question -- and the one that led her to being selected as one of 82 students from around the globe participating in the Smithsonian's Sustainable Communities project.
The project, which is led by the Smithsonian's Science Education Center, will see Doughty and her 14- to 17-year-old peers learning and collaborating together to determine actionable steps that can be taken in their respective communities, whether at Sipayik or in South Africa, France or Canada.
Being helpful and supportive has always been part of Doughty's personality, she says. "I've always wanted to do my best for the community, to help out." Her sense of civic mindedness was amplified by her Grade 7 teacher, Sarah Donahe. "She talks a lot about climate change and our environment, how we should protect it. And you know, it just stuck with me."
When Doughty heard about the Sustainable Communities project, she decided to apply. Of the thousands of students around the world who did, she was selected to participate. "I was so excited when I found out," she says, adding it was on March 7 -- near her birthday -- when she learned of her acceptance into the program.
Since then, Doughty has been engaged in online activities with fellow students as they've learned about their individual and shared goals and begun to outline their approaches. The program's advisors, including several Nobel laureates, have been sharing effective methods and insights gained from their own experiences.
Among the more interesting parts so far for Doughty has been the inclusion of a student from the Bear Clan in Quebec, she says. "I thought it was really cool, because she was talking about her culture and how she's trying to get people involved. How she really tries to help kids."
Hearing from another Indigenous student inspired Doughty to want to learn more about her own Wabanaki culture. While she beads, makes dreamcatchers, sings and dances and knows about the importance of speaking the language and respecting elders, she knows there's more to it than that. "There's so much I want to learn."
Seeing the similarities in goals for students around the world has also been eye-opening for Doughty, who notes that many students are passionate about taking actions to minimize the effects of climate change.
For Doughty, the goals she has outlined thus far for her community include improving access to healthcare, improving access to clean water, improving public transportation and progressing toward equal rights. She'll be interviewing various people over the remaining weeks of the program, including tribal elders, chiefs and vice chiefs, and will update her goals accordingly.
After the students have compiled their findings and their plans of action, a presentation will be made at the 2023 Nobel Prize Summit in Washington, D.C., on May 24 to 26. Doughty will be attending virtually.
"This is a starting point," Doughty says of the project and how she believes it will influence her moving forward. With an enduring fascination in nursing as a career, she plans to combine her passion for community activism with providing healthcare as she looks ahead into the coming years.