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CONSCIOUS PARENTING • SUSTAINABILITY • COMMUNITY • WELLBEING Natural connections Youth Strike 4 Climate in Monmouth, South Wales As school bells rang out on a Friday morning in April, children from schools across Monmouthshire, South Wales gathered for their first Youth Strike 4 Climate march together. Organised by a core group of seven children aged 11 to 13 years old, they waited for more to join them outside a secondary school in the town of Monmouth. Clutching home-made banners with slogans such as ‘Fossil Fuels My Anger’ and ‘There Is No Planet B’, they were ready to show this corner of the world that they are standing up and shouting out against climate change. I was invited to join them on the march that morning, in awe as I watched more and more children pour out of the school gates to take part. With teaching staff ensuring they’d all signed out with parental consent, safeguarding clearly being paramount, masses of pupils joined the throng to the sound of voices chanting, “Let them out!” The organisers expected only around fifty children, but there ended up being many hundreds. I couldn’t help but feel a huge welling of emotion watching this passionate collaboration grow and flow into the streets that day. Spending time with a few of the children who organised this day along with some of their parents, who support them with a few logistics, I got to hear and see first-hand where this all began and what their own ‘Greta Thunberg moment’ would be in these children’s continuing campaign to create awareness and challenge the politicians to take action against climate change. They are already planning the next march and have plans to put on banner-making workshops for other children, who, in their own words, will be able to use their creativity to make amazing signs that will really get people to sit up and take notice. Letter written by Lunan to his teacher: Dear Mrs Christofi This Friday (12 April) I will be going on a climate march instead of going to school because I care about the people and animals that live on earth. PS Please watch Our Planet on Netflix because that will help you understand what I’m worried about. 22 JUNO
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Natural connections “When I saw how many children were pouring out of Monmouth Comprehensive School to join the strike this day, I was humbled. It gave me hope that with this level of support from young people, politicians really do have to change” Ian, father to Rio, 13, Skye, 11, and Aurora, 10 23 JUNO

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CONSCIOUS PARENTING • SUSTAINABILITY • COMMUNITY • WELLBEING Natural connections

Youth Strike 4 Climate in Monmouth, South Wales

As school bells rang out on a Friday morning in April, children from schools across Monmouthshire, South Wales gathered for their first Youth Strike 4 Climate march together. Organised by a core group of seven children aged 11 to 13 years old, they waited for more to join them outside a secondary school in the town of Monmouth. Clutching home-made banners with slogans such as ‘Fossil Fuels My Anger’ and ‘There Is No Planet B’, they were ready to show this corner of the world that they are standing up and shouting out against climate change.

I was invited to join them on the march that morning, in awe as I watched more and more children pour out of the school gates to take part. With teaching staff ensuring they’d all signed out with parental consent, safeguarding clearly being paramount, masses of pupils joined the throng to the sound of voices chanting, “Let them out!” The organisers expected only around fifty children, but there ended up being many hundreds. I couldn’t help but feel a huge welling of emotion watching this passionate collaboration grow and flow into the streets that day.

Spending time with a few of the children who organised this day along with some of their parents, who support them with a few logistics, I got to hear and see first-hand where this all began and what their own ‘Greta Thunberg moment’ would be in these children’s continuing campaign to create awareness and challenge the politicians to take action against climate change.

They are already planning the next march and have plans to put on banner-making workshops for other children, who, in their own words, will be able to use their creativity to make amazing signs that will really get people to sit up and take notice.

Letter written by Lunan to his teacher:

Dear Mrs Christofi

This Friday (12 April) I will be going on a climate march instead of going to school because I care about the people and animals that live on earth.

PS Please watch Our Planet on Netflix because that will help you understand what I’m worried about.

22 JUNO

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