There is no doubt that young people are concerned about climate change and the future that the world holds for them.
Walkouts and fights for change in the world have been going on in almost every country in the world. Swedish environmental activist, Greta Thunberg has been raising global awareness due to the risks of climate change and the world is beginning to take notice.
In Saugeen Shores, students at Saugeen District Senior School (SDSS) are also about to get involved. “We live in an area with so much wealth and there is so little being put out there about this world that we are living in,” says student Cyd Madison Morris. “September 20-27 has been declared Global Strike Week and we want to do our part to get involved.”
A teacher at SDSS has arranged an assembly on September 16th to highlight the climate crisis, where several students will be sharing information of what’s going on in the world right now as well as serious and heart-wrenching personal stories.
“The assembly,” adds Morris, “will also be filled with information to get the word out and spread the critical danger we are in as a global community.”
In addition to the assembly, Morris and two other students to date are planning a walk out titled “Saugeen Shores Climate Strike” and the students have just started up an Instagram and Facebook page. “We (the students) are planning a walk out to take place Thursday, September 26th at 2:00 p.m. in the front of our high school,” says Morris, “and then we will go to Coulter Parkette for 2:20 where we hope the community will join us.”
With only a few days to fully organize this event, the students are working hard to get as many people as possible involved, including those from the community. “Our plans include to have activities and music, as well as a sign making table where students and community members who come can make their own signs. It is our goal to have chants and educate even more about what is going on right now in our world.”
The students also plan to have a petition distributed that people can sign that will then be sent to MP Ben Lobb’s office, as well as others in the Municipal, Provincial and Federal governments.
“We know that it can be hard to make a big change,” stresses Morris, but our focus is to try to make a difference. We don’t want people to see this as a message of fear, but instead as a message of required action and opportunity. We are demanding system change, not climate change.”