November 2, 2016, several members of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU) had the great opportunity to be a part of a Student Publications Fair at UVU. This Event was hosted by The Journal of Student Leadership at UVU. The goal of this Fair was to bring together as many different publications at UVU to show students that they have an opportunity to be published in a variety of different journal that all focus on different topics.
Three UIMF representatives, UVU students Daniela Diaz Monkada, Aaron Holloway and myself were able to set up our booth at Center Stage and were surprised by the very diverse variety of journals at UVU. This was a great opportunity for our team to introduce and share the Youth and the Mountains journal with many students and professors at UVU’s Wolverine Wednesday. Our team is currently editing the 2016 issue of the Youth and the Mountains journal and has accumulated submissions, written by students, that show both experience and knowledge of major issues in the area of Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD).
(L to R): Daniela Diaz Monkada, President of the Model UN Club at UVU and Aaron Holloway, member of the UIMF
Youth and the Mountains features student works on varying topics that include SMD, comparative essays, and an assortment of research essays. This journal provides students with the opportunity to be published in an academic journal featuring their hard work researching their chosen topic. It was inaugurated for the first time in Erzurum, Turkey in September 2013 during the Global Meeting of the United Nations Mountain Partnership, which coordinates the UN SMD agenda globally. Since then, UVU publishes this journal as one more example of contribution from faculty and students to the promotion of the SMD agenda in the State of Utah and North America, and as an opportunity to raise a new generation of leaders in the region.
As people stopped at our booth, many were surprised to learn that everyone is eligible to submit a work to be published and were intrigued at a journal featuring sustainability with a focus on mountain livelihoods and communities. The 2015 issue of the journal will be finalized and will be published shortly. It will highlight students research in various areas in SMD, including water and environmental issues, gender equality among others. The 2016 issue, which we are currently working on, will be comprised from student comparative research papers discussing mountainous regions throughout the world. In addition, the 2016 volume will include student reflective essays about successfully hosting the Fourth International Women of the Mountains Conference using an experiential learning approach.
It was very encouraging to see the growing interest in the Youth and the Mountains journal. Among those who visited the journal fair, many were interested in receiving copies of the 2016 edition. Daniella, Aaron and myself were also able to gain connections with other UVU journals who are also interested in our publication and may want to work together in the future. We enjoyed our experience at the UVU Student Publications Fair and look forward to attending again in the future.
By Kiersten Dumas, Vice President, Sustainable Mountain Development Club at Utah Valley University
