The girl who started it all
HOLLY Gillibrand was the first British schoolgirl to walk out of class after being inspired by the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement.
The 13-year-old began skipping Friday morning lessons at the start of January, standing outside her school with placards reading: ‘School strike for the climate’ and ‘Beep for climate action’. She spread awareness of her action to thousands of social media followers and helped co-ordinate protests near her home in Fort William yesterday.
She said the sacrifice of missing her compulsory lessons at Lochaber High School is ‘a small price to pay for standing up for our planet’. She said she had the support of her parents and some teachers – but not the head or local council.