Stickers intended to raise awareness for Indigenous leadership in combatting the climate crisis are being distributed on campus.
The AMS kicked off October’s sticker campaign with a design promoting Indigenous Climate Action, as part of AMS Sustainability Month.
The Commission of Environmental Sustainability selected Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) for this month’s campaign, and is encouraging students to learn about the organization, and donate if they can.
“I think that even if someone isn’t able to donate to an organization, knowledge is power,” Niki Boytchuk-Hale, AMS marketing director, said in an interview with The Journal.
“If they can just follow [the organization’s] account that can also be very impactful.”
ICA—an Alberta-based organization—was chosen for the value of Indigenous knowledge systems in developing solutions to the climate crisis, according to Emily Rolph, AMS commissioner of environmental sustainability.
“The Indigenous community is important to a lot of the climate fight and has been the voice of it for a long time, except no one listened to them,” Rolph said.
By creating programs that support Indigenous leaders and community members, ICA works to center Indigenous voices in climate change discourse.
This month’s sticker, designed by Boytchuk-Hale, features a medicine wheel with sketches in each quadrant meant to represent traditional Indigenous medicines.
“The medicine wheel is one of the most important symbols for Indigenous peoples. They generally symbolize seasons and directions as well as the actual medicines,” Boychuk-Hale said.
Launched in the summer of 2022, the AMS sticker campaign is a new initiative devised by Boytchuk-Hale. Each month involves the promotion of a different charitable organization, chosen by an AMS commissioner, using stickers.
For Boytchuk-Hale, the initiative is an opportunity to bring various departments of the AMS together.
“My approach to work and our community in general is being collaborative and bringing as many different voices and experiences to the table as possible. I thought [the sticker campaign] would be a unique opportunity to have some collaboration in ways that don’t typically happen,” she said.
Once the organization is chosen, the AMS marketing office designs a branding package in partnership with the commissioner, ultimately producing a sticker to be distributed via social media and on-campus sites.
Rolph hopes students will become more cognizant of local organizations engaging in meaningful work within the Kingston community and the country.
“[The AMS] isn’t keeping track of how much money is raised, but that’s not exactly our motive. It’s not about the money; it’s about bringing awareness to organizations that otherwise might not have,” she said.
Students can pick up free stickers at several on-campus locations, including Common Ground Coffee House, Queen’s Center, and the LaSalle Building.
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