Climate striking on Newsround
Hi! My name is Alice and I am 10 years old,
A few years ago, me and my friends started hearing about the climate and how our world is changing so rapidly. I was very interested in this and I was doing my research to try and find out more because I wanted to help make a change. I was working on a presentation for my class and I started seeing a girl called Greta popping up on the news. I asked my Mum who she was and she said she was a 16-year-old girl striking from school and sitting outside the Swedish government with her sign. When the strikes started becoming bigger I wanted to go and protest with other the children but my parents said that I wasn’t allowed to miss school. Instead my Mum went to represent me. She showed me pictures that they had taken at the strikes and I liked this.
But looking at pictures wasn’t the same as being there. When the strikes were getting huge, my Mum told me about a global strike on 20th September 2019 that I could go to. I was very happy. I had to write a letter to my headmaster saying why I was going and I also offered to read out a poem I had written at the end of the march. When me and my friends were asked to be on CBBC Newsround we very excited. I thought it would be a great opportunity to show thousands of children across the UK that anyone can make a difference and little people uniting together can make big changes. I had never been on TV before and is was an amazing experience. We felt really proud to be representing primary school kids at the climate strike.
Watch our first Newsround report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/49766675
My name is Miller and I am 11 years old.
I was privileged enough to be asked if I wanted to take part in an amazing opportunity. Did I want to go to the climate change march with Newsround? Of course, my answer was yes! For things like this there is paperwork and forms and stuff, and usually your parents or guardians would take care of all that. But this was different. We had to write our very own letter to our headteacher asking for permission to take time off. This had suddenly got big. Very big. Here are a few meaningful but sometimes cheesy parts of my letter:
We must make a change.
We can’t avoid this any longer, things have to be done.
Do you really feel comfortable watching the world, our home, our only sanctuary in the deep reaches of space, suffocate in toxic gasses, crumble in pain and agony, die a death none should endure?
The big day was nearing and all preparations were go, go, go! All of us met up at Alice’s house to make placards and banners. With us came Gracie and her team from CBBC Newsround. Together, we created more catchy slogans that would pave the path for the future; mine was:
Quit plastic and feel fantastic!
Everyone went to bed exited, but a little nervous too. What would tomorrow bring?
Finally - after an agonisingly slow week – we were readying ourselves for battle. Me and my Mum went to meet Elkie so we could walk to Hove lawns, the starting point of the protest. There, Caroline Lucas was giving a speech. Walking there, both me and Elkie were overly excited, and, in my case, a little annoying. It felt as if my stomach was crawling with maggots. We arrived just in time, meeting the rest of our troop. From there on we would march through town; chanting, shouting, placarding (if that’s a word). We were changing the world. Every step was one into the future. Together, we could achieve our hopes and goals, together we could do this.
After the march we arrived at the Level, we heard the voices of so many inspiring figures. How couldn’t you act when the atmosphere was so electric? After all the preparations and slogans and banners, it was done. We had started something. Something that would carry on for years ahead. Together, we can carry on doing it, we just need your help too. And that was it. That was what made news on Friday the 20th of September! That was what would hopefully inspire more after it. That, was it…
You can watch our second Newsround report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/49787520
Hello! My name is Holly and I am 11 years old,
It was a great experience being on Newsround and it was even better as I was doing it with some of my friends. I participated in this event because I wanted to help protect the environment that we live in and protect the next generation’s future. It was great fun making our banners and then going on a march the next day. It was a rewarding feeling to know that you were actually doing something to help save our planet, going on a peaceful protest really showed me how many people really care for this incredible world that we live in. On the other hand, it is sometimes quite emotional that people are not doing as much as they can and that they are still throwing plastic in the sea, still driving even though they can cycle. It disappoints me that not everyone cares as much as we do.
It felt amazing when they were filming us because you knew that many people would see how you felt about global warming and maybe think that they could help too. Even though we are in Lockdown now, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have to think about the environment. Fortunately, Lockdown does mean that people aren’t driving so there is less pollution, even a canal in Venice, Italy, is said to be clear and that dolphins have been seen swimming in it!! This is great news for the environment as it means that we actually can do things and that we aren’t just protesting for nothing, that it isn’t too late and we can still make a difference.
My letter to my head teacher:
Hi! My name is Elkie and I am 11 years old,
I love animals and nature and I could not imagine life without lying on the grass and hearing birds sing and noticing different insects and admiring bees. My family and I work really hard to do our best for the environment but I know that some other people have their own way of thinking and they think everyone has the same opinion, but they don’t. So, I think it’s really important to tell the world what the world really needs.
The day we were on Newsround it felt like I was a famous movie star because everyone was saying, “can you do this, move here, stand there.” I was surprised how nervous I was when I had to say my own lines. No matter how nervous I felt I knew what we were doing was important to try and help everyone care about climate change. I couldn’t believe how many people said they saw us on TV it made me realise how lucky I was to be involved in spreading the word.
The day of the actual march came. I felt like nothing else mattered that day apart from what we were doing. Being together and marching together felt powerful. I didn’t feel like a little girl who couldn’t make a difference, no, I felt like a someone who had a voice and the voice was finally heard!
16.9.19
Dear Mr Pearson,
I am writing to you because I would appreciate it if you gave me permission to go on the climate change march this Friday.
This is important to me because it is my future and I want to make sure it is a good one. I also think this march is important for the people who haven’t been born yet, who have no control over how the world will be. When my children are born they might not be able to see elephants or tigers as these species are slowly and steadily becoming extinct. This is because of deforestation which is destroying habitats. Deforestation is happening due to people wanting to cattle farm and make palm fields but this is not just bad for animals but is also causing the planet to heat up like a dried prune, and nothing could live on a pruney earth!
I am disappointed that not enough adults are taking interest in the horribleness that is happening right in front of their eyes. I wish they could see the signs in front of them, hopefully this march will help that.
Yours sincerely
Elkie