A Bermudian dancer who travelled to Kenya to learn of the effects of climate change on marginalised people said she had a new outlook on her abilities.

Honor Minors, 19, helped to co-ordinate dance circles with Taproot Earth while she attended conferences and discussion groups.

Ms Minors said her assistance reminded her that, although her role seemed small, she had the ability to enact great change.

She added: “There’s always a space for people’s voices. Whatever that looks like, there will always be that space.”

Ms Minors, who studies dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, said that she went to Kenya last month after being invited by a colleague to join the summer trip.

She said that she had never heard of Taproot Earth before, but as she learnt more about the group she appreciated it for its “vulnerability” and honesty.

The organisation is a collective that campaigns for climate change awareness and racial justice.

It understands that environmentalism and antiracism advocacy go hand-in-hand, as most countries in the Global South have not only been exploited for human and natural resources, but are also the first to be affected by climate change.

Ms Minors said that she attended a summit where activists from across the Global South met.

She said that the attendees communicated using headsets that translated in real time to discuss what they wanted to see out of “global climate reparations”.

Ms Minors explained that it was felt that some discussions failed to capture the importance of reparations, which led to frustration for those whose lives were affected.

She added that she and other dancers were tasked with becoming “movement therapists” who led dance breaks to help speakers calm down in between debates.

She explained: “Because these conversations we were having were so emotionally taxing, we’d have these things called movement breaks where myself and two other dancers would go up on stage and get everybody’s bodies moving just to relieve tension.”

Ms Minors added: “Some people might not think of dance as something that could help you.

“They don’t understand the importance of letting loose and actually having that relief during times of harsh conversation, so that was our role.”

Ms Minors said that they met with independent dancers from Nairobi, the country’s capital, and created dance routines over the course of a week.

She admitted that she had “immediate impostor syndrome” when she landed in Kenya because she was the youngest there.

But Ms Minors said that she came to realise how important her role was.

She added that she was impressed by the amount of people who came out to fight for their right to live.

Ms Minors said: “Climate change is a problem that the whole Earth faces, and unfortunately right now, when people hear ‘climate change’ they think polar bears and metal straws, which are also very important.

“However, minorities will be affected first by the effects of climate change.

“It was really eye-opening for me to see all these people of colour at this summit be so, so passionate and feel so strongly about this cause.

“Even when these people were speaking in a completely different language and I’m listening to them through a translator, I could hear the passion of what they’re saying and it making me want to strive for a better world for everyone.”

Ms Minors recommended anyone curious to learn more and volunteer with Taproot Earth to visit its website.