Youngsters add their voice on tackling climate change
PUPILS WILL TAKE PART IN THE UK’S ‘GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK’
SCHOOL pupils across Leicester will march as part of a call for action on climate change this month.
As part of the UK’s first Great Big Green Week, schools in the city will take part in a series of events to promote action against climate change and protect green spaces.
Organised by the Climate Coalition, a network of local organisations working towards a greener city and county, the week will run from September 18 to September 26.
To start the week, a four-day film festival with a “green” theme will run at the Pheonix cinema from Monday, September 20, with all screenings free of charge for schoolchildren, families and friends.
School pupils will also take part in a UN-style climate conference on Tuesday, September 21, hosted by the city council.
The young delegates will represent a range of countries and present their nation’s pledges on climate action, followed by an afternoon of activities based on the city’s Climate Action Plan. On Friday, September 24, schools will take part in a march that will end in Abbey Park with a celebratory, plastic-free picnic.
The schools will also present their own climate action pledges to later share with the major UN climate summit, COP26, due to be hosted by the UK in Glasgow this November.
Throughout the week, there will be a number of competitions held including a Letter to the Future competition, which is part of the youthEmergency led community action programme, Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots.
Award events will also be hosted through the council’s Eco-Schools and Food for Life schemes, which help schools become more sustainable and promote healthier food.
The city council’s environmental education team, which is behind the Great Big Green Week, has also helped 52 schools earn an EcoSchools Green Flag, awarded by the national charity.
Deputy city mayor Councillor Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transport, said: “The forthcoming COP26 summit in Glasgow means the UK has a real opportunity to raise its ambitions in terms of the action it is taking on climate change.
“I know that our schoolchildren want to hold decision-makers to account. Hosting the city’s first-ever young people’s climate assembly played an important part in the development of our local response to the climate emergency.
“In Leicester, we are so proud that our schools and children engage so meaningfully with issues around the climate emergency and nature conservation.
“We wanted to celebrate this during the Great Big Green Week, and make sure that our young people’s voices are heard as part of this national call for action on climate change.”