Indigenous Youth Fight Mining Project with Citizen Journalism
A massive mining project in Mindanao, the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project, threatens to destroy over 27,000 hectares of ancestral land, displace thousands, and pollute vital river systems. In response, a new generation of Indigenous citizens is fighting back using citizen journalism as a tool of resistance and cultural preservation.
The citizens formed the Kinaiyahan Youth Network, an alliance of Indigenous and environmental advocates. They received support from Cultural Survival, which awarded $480,000 in funding to 57 Indigenous communication projects worldwide in 2024, including the Mindanao Climate Justice Resource Facility. The citizens are challenging dominant narratives about their communities through storytelling, which they see as a political act of cultural defense.
The project has faced risks, including the abduction of a volunteer staff member and the red-tagging of advocates. Despite these challenges, the citizens remain determined. A three-day training called Tingog: Citizen Journalism Training equipped 30 Indigenous and allied youth with mobile reporting, digital safety, and trauma-informed storytelling skills.
The citizens' use of citizen journalism has demonstrated that when stories are heard, resistance thrives. Despite the threats posed by the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project, the Kinaiyahan Youth Network continues to fight for their ancestral land and cultural heritage.
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