Empowering youth through climate change knowledge and getting their hands in soil to feel their positive impact. Tha's what the Grade 9 Climate Showdown was all about.
This was the first-ever youth climate change conference led by Grade 10 students from the Community Environmental Leadership Program (CELP). The program has run since 1995 where students get school credits with a focus on environment, outdoor education, leadership, and working with peers and younger students.
For the showdown Grade 9 students from geography classes at John F. Ross, Guelph CVI and Centennial high schools were divided in groups to go through eight stations to earn points from judges from local climate groups. There were 22 different groups present and nearly 90 students in attendance.
The stations had activities around food waste, local climate issues, invasive species and more.
The conference was a cumulative project for CELP students and was funded through the City of Guelph’s Youth Climate Action Fund.
Part of the goal on Tuesday was to have students feel hope and empowerment as opposed to sadness and anger when it comes to climate change. CELP students learn about environmental issues all semester, so now it gives them a chance to do something when it comes to the climate crisis, said Katie Gad, CELP teacher.
At the start of the day students were asked if they had planted trees, used transportation like biking, walking or public transportation and calculated their ecological footprint. Quite a few hands were raised for those questions.
They were also asked if they were worried about climate change and what it meant for their future. Not as many hands were raised for this and a CELP student emcee indicated this wasn't a good sign but it’s the reason they are here to learn more.
Climate anxiety has been increasing for students as years go on. It can manifest through phone addiction, distraction, disengagement and apathy, said Gad.
Grade 9 GCVI student Elliot Lewis Fretz wishes he thought about the climate crisis more. He does think of his future children and worries the Earth may not be an inhabitable place for them. It’s sad to think of climate change and some of the effects may be irreversible, he said.
While it seems like the climate crisis gets passed on from one generation to the next to address and come up with solutions. It is about working together to make a change.
“I feel like we should have less pressure. They (older generations) should be working more towards climate change because it is a problem for all of us. Not just us or them,” said Aidan McInnis, Grade 10 CELP student.
He has a little bit of hope for change when it comes to the climate. Students could use a lot more hope, he said.
