Wellington school children strike for climate change action outside parliament.
The voices of young people will be front and centre this Friday, when students around the country gather in their thousands for the next wave of School Strike 4 Climate.
But the older generation is throwing their support behind the young change makers.
Students will miss school on April 9 to protest inaction from those in power around climate change.
Kāpiti Climate Change Action Group member Chris Paice, a grandfather to two children under 10, would be there, sign in hand. While he hoped it might attract a few younger members to the action group, he said the day was all about young people.
The younger generation would be the ones to most keenly feel the effects of climate change, so it often fell to the younger generation to act. It wasn’t fair, but “nothing’s very fair about climate change, unfortunately”.
“There’s been a lot of news over the last two to three years about the older generation being relatively uncaring,” Paice said.
“While there is some truth to that, we want people to also be aware that there are a lot of the older generation that are very concerned.”
Paice would be heading along to the Kāpiti strike this year. While you couldn’t beat the atmosphere in Wellington, the march culminating right outside Parliament, it was time to support local.
Fellow group member Sophie Handford, a Kāpiti Coast district councillor and driving force behind the first School Strike 4 Climate movement in 2019, was the youngest member of the group – most others were retired.
The goal was to attract a large cross-section of society. “We have power in numbers, power across generations, and power across diversity.”
Kāpiti had one of the highest percentages of older people in the community in New Zealand. “We need for young people to know that the older generations aren’t just leaving it up to us.”
Watching the new organisers finding their feet, their friends, and their tribe was really satisfying. “I’ve cried a couple of times out of pure happiness, I’m so proud of them.”
To people unsure which march to head to, Handford urged them to think about where their presence would be most felt. “Out in Kāpiti, the difference of 10 more people is massive.”
Although an honorary group mum, she wasn’t going to take any credit. “It’s their movement, I’m just happy to be there in the crowd on Friday.”
Paraparaumu College student Ella Harvey, 16, had attended the previous two climate strikes in Kāpiti, and was now part of a six-strong group of organisers.
“I think it’s vital that we keep putting pressure on the Government. If we stop … they’re going to forget.”
They would march down Kāpiti Rd to MacLean Park, arriving around 11.30am, met with speeches by Sophie Handford, Green MP Jan Logie, and one more speaker who was yet to be confirmed.
Afterwards there would be young performers, food, mural painting, chalk art, and at 1.30pm a beach cleanup with Sustainable Coastlines; “It’s about practising what you preach,” Harvey said.
“It’s exhilarating,” she said. “It’s not common, this almost reckless activism.”
Harvey was inspired by stories of past “reckless activism”; her teacher told her of one occasion where they ran into McDonald’s, dumped a heap of rubbish on the floor, and ran out again. “I think that’s just the coolest thing ever.”
The organisers were trying to brand their strike as intergenerational. “We’ve even sent emails to retirement villages.” They hadn’t had any replies, but at least they’d tried.
Harvey’s grandparents were coming along – if they joined in with the sign making and chanting, it would make her day.
In Wellington, participants will meet at Civic Square at 11am. The march is due to arrive at Parliament at midday, where there will be speeches, performances, and the handover of demands to Government.
Organisers asked that participants wear masks. Wellington strike organiser Izzy Cook said the climate crisis became more urgent day by day.
“The longer we wait, the harder the effects of this crisis are going to hit us. We’re at a turning point in history, and now is the time to act.”
Article Credit: stuff.co.nz