The Green Hub Festival 2024 (Northeast India) successfully concluded its three-day celebration of grassroots conservation, sustainable development, and community engagement in Northeast India. The festival, held from October 4th to 6th, marked the graduation of the 7th batch of Green Hub Northeast fellows, who showcased their remarkable films focused on conservation initiatives, wildlife and biodiversity, community development, and sustainable tourism. The event brought together various participants, including local community youth, government and non-government organisations, civil society leaders, youth groups, and conservationists from across the region. Through meaningful dialogue, film screenings, and interactive sessions, the festival amplified conversations on fostering sustainable futures.
The films showcased during the festival highlighted a wide range of conservation initiatives. Each film offered a unique perspective on the vital role local communities play in protecting and preserving Northeast India’s rich biodiversity. The Green Hub Festival 2024 not only celebrated the accomplishments of the fellows but also underscored the broader movement toward sustainability and conservation in the region. It inspired and educated attendees, motivating them to take actionable steps toward environmental stewardship.
About the Fellowship: The Green Hub Fellowship is a year-long programme that trains youth from Northeast India in filmmaking and documentation. It intends to engage and empower youth in conservation action and social change through the visual medium. Established in 2015 in Tezpur, Assam, the Green Hub Fellowship is a collaborative initiative between North East Network (NEN) and Dusty Foot Foundation (DFF). Since its inception, Green Hub has now a network of 149 fellows from across 8 states of Northeast India, representing close to 100 communities. The Green Hub Fellowship is a flagship programme of The Green Hub Project, which has now expanded to Central India and the Western Himalayas. Various other programmes have also been started under the umbrella of the Green Hub Project, including the Green Hub-Royal Enfield Responsible Tourism Fellowship and the Green Hub-Royal Enfield Conservation Grants.
The Green Hub Northeast India chapter is an initiative of the Dusty Foot Foundation and Northeast Network, supported by Royal Enfield Social Mission, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Green Hub Northeast India Festival 2024 is the seventh edition for this region. The seventh batch of GHNE represents members of diverse communities from the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, West Bengal, Ladakh, Tripura, and Mizoram. Partner organisations for the seventh batch of GHNE include Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment, Society for Education and Environmental Development, Shergaon Forest Division (Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary), Bosco Institute and Youth Involve, Titli Trust, Khangchendzonga Conservation Community Sikkim, Seven Sisters Development Assistance, Synjuk Ki Hima Arlian Wah Umiam Mawphlang Welfare Society, Institute of Public Health, Indian Alliance, Canopy Collective, Kathia Baba Charitable Society, and Green Hub X Royal Enfield Responsible Tourism Sites. The GHNE Festival 2024 also marked the commencement of the eighth batch, with the new fellows being inducted into the programme. The three-day event is interspersed with keynote speeches and presentations, folk music, and a photography exhibition, among other things.
The festival invited eminent personalities from diverse backgrounds in environment conservation and Indigenous knowledge, filmmakers, researchers, and practitioners. The speaker panel included Pooja Rathod, a National Geographic Explorer and wildlife cinematographer from India; Vijay Bedi, an Emmy-nominated wildlife filmmaker, photographer, and conservationist; James Khangenbam from Manipur; and Sonali Ghosh, IFS, the first woman field director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. In the northeast, the Green Hub festival has become a connecting point for several stakeholders, youth, CSOs & CBOs, government departments, and Indigenous community members. It has helped leverage the voices of the youth and community people towards positive solutions on the ground and built a support network for environment conservation, traditional knowledge, and local livelihoods.
