Santa Clara University-based climate activism group tUrn is in the midst of their 15th biannual climate crisis awareness week—bringing to campus a total of 15 events over seven days. Through the effort, tUrn aims to highlight diverse voices in the climate conversation and provide a space for students, faculty and the public to learn and get involved.

Intersectionality plays a defining role in this tUrn week, the first of the 2026-27 school year. Thursday, or the “International Day” of tUrn week, featured the “Driving Climate Commitments” event, including three panels of internationally situated climate experts.

Student activist and “intUrn” Lauren Rossi ’29 emphasizes the importance of understanding the international aspect of the climate crisis. She notes how in America, people tend to get closed in on the American perspective.

“Breaking that barrier and reaching out to other countries—hearing what they have to say and what people are doing across the world that we don’t even know about—gives us a broader scope of what climate action looks like globally,” said Rossi. “So I’m very happy that tUrn week focuses on bringing together all different perspectives and voices. It gives students who don’t hear those voices all the time a direct opportunity to hear from different people.”

TUrn also aims to highlight Indigenous voices regarding the climate crisis—the first day of the action week fell on Indigenous People’s Day.

“Indigenous perspectives have such deep ancestral knowledge of how to work with natural ecology,” said Rossi.

Anthony Delacruz ’29 serves as treasurer of the Native American Coalition for Change and as the group’s liaison for communication with tUrn. Delacruz spoke at a student-led activism panel on Wednesday from 6-8pm in Graham Residence Hall, highlighting the ways both indigenous perspectives and modern science can be employed to fight the climate crisis.

Delacruz notes that indigenous perspectives are vital to rejuvenating the environment.

“Our infrastructure and our design is very young compared to indigenous perspectives, being thousands of years old,” said Delacruz. “Their observations are much closer to working with nature than our modern science.”

Without indigenous perspectives, Delacruz says, it would be “nearly impossible” to fight the climate crisis.

“I believe that indigenous knowledge is old enough to know what helps the land the best, what benefits the land the best, and how we can benefit from the land the most without harming the land and working with the land,” said Delacruz.

TUrn hosted an indigenous keynote via zoom on Monday afternoon, featuring speaker Shannon Rivers, a member of the Akimel O’odam people. Throughout the event, Rivers focused on O’odam Himdag, which translates to “the way of life.” The Akimel O’odam people have historically guided their living with the O’odam Himdag of valuing the land and their relationship with it.

“Indigenous people have understood how to live with our environments,” Rivers said during the keynote event.

Rivers continued speaking about the importance of understanding our relationship with the land, noting that “our relationship to that land is critical, it’s crucial,” even noting how many today live in “spiritual poverty” due to a lack of connection to the land.

“The question is, how do we extend the understanding to settler society,” asked Rivers later in the event. “How do we extend that knowledge to those in this room?”

Through highlighting diverse—and often overlooked perspectives regarding the climate crisis—tUrn hopes to educate students thoroughly and inspire change. Anthony Diaz ’29 emphasizes the importance of this holistic education.

“Without education, we are doomed to repeat history,” said Diaz. “So by this organization’s club, educating college students can get people to make the best decisions they can based on credible sources.”

“It’s important to stay educated on the environment you’re living in, and the place you’re living in, and to learn how to take care of it,” said student activist and intUrn Virginia Corbo ’27.

Rossi also notes how during her experience, she was shocked to learn that a lot of people are not aware of the climate crisis.

“That speaks to how afraid we are to talk about it,” said Rossi.

Jessica Bui ’28, who helps tUrn with student outreach, didn’t know what the climate crisis was prior to tUrn. She noted that at the end of tUrn weeks past, she witnessed the impact of new student involvement firsthand, as well as “more awareness around climate change around Santa Clara.”

“Being involved in tUrn made the climate crisis feel more personal and showed me that small actions, like education and getting other students involved can make a difference,” said Bui.

Rossi notes how many young adults feel voiceless about the climate crisis, especially since those in power are often much older, making it all the more important to encourage students to speak up. TUrn aims to help students find and advocate for their own voice.

“It’s really important that we share the message to students that even though you’re younger and you don’t have as much experience as the people who are currently making the decisions, you still have that power to make change,” said Rossi. “Our voice is also really important as we’re kind of the new generation that’ll be taking on the climate crisis. So it’s good to start early.”

Professor Kristin Kusanovich ’88, director of tUrn, echoes Rossi’s points. She refers to climate change as a form of tyranny, explaining, “it’s terrifying us, dominating, and setting the path of the future.” She then elaborates on how those who often feel like they don’t have power, can topple this tyranny.

“It’s actually the voices of people who don’t seem to have a lot of power that have always started the toppling of tyrannies,” said Kusanovich.

Members of tUrn echo that the organization is a great place to start for getting involved with climate action.

“TUrn is a safe space to voice your opinions and to admit that you don’t understand much about the climate crisis,” Jessica Bui ’28 said. “And just to ask questions and get involved.”

“These resources are really helpful,” said Corbo. “They actually are able to inspire and motivate you to make a couple differences”

For Kusanovich, who founded tUrn in 2019, the effort is a way to make a real difference through amplifying one voice at a time.

“We’re resisting hopelessness, resisting pessimism, resisting inaction,” said Kusanovich.

TUrn week continues through Sunday, Oct. 18.