Should students join the Ottawa Climate Strike this coming Friday?
The worldwide strike that occurred last Friday has been described as the biggest climate action protest to date, and it has been inspired by youth. A repeat of it is being staged for September 27th with Ottawa and other places taking part. Below are links to Ecology Ottawa and 350.org webpages that provide information about the Ottawa event.
Greta Thunberg, who was present in New York for the strike last Friday and the Youth Climate Summit, will be in Montreal this coming Friday. Her presence and the climate actions coincides with the September 21-27th UN Action For People and Planet , which includes the historic Youth Climate Summit.
School boards, including those in Toronto and New York, are allowing students to participate in the strikes. In a note to parents the Toronto District School Board states: “At the TDSB, we honour student voice and are committed to ensuring students can express themselves individually and collectively in ways that are constructive, respectful and responsible.” It’s a statement that also recognizes the growing evidence that children and youth benefit from being treated as equal partners in addressing matters that affect them. The International Journal of Student Voice is one place to look for this evidence. A UNICEF article by Roger Hart titled Children’s Participation: From tokenism to citizenship published in 1992 is another and it indicates that the evidence has been building for some time. Concerning the climate strikes, the general feeling appears to be that students should be allowed to participate in them with impunity from their schools if they have parental permission.
List of Embedded Links:
– Ecology Ottawa: https://ecologyottawa.ca/2019/09/11/join-the-ottawa-climate-strike/
– 350.org: https://globalclimatestrike.net/
– Greta Thunberg: https://www.democracynow.org/2019/9/19/greta_thunberg_change_is_coming_whether
– UN Action For People and Planet: https://www.un.org/en/summits2019/
– UN Action For People and Planet: https://www.un.org/en/summits2019/
– Youth Climate Summit: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/youth-summit.shtml
– TDSB note to parents: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/News/Article-Details/ArtMID/474/ArticleID/1350/Possible-Student-Participation-in-Climate-Change-Rally-Information-for-Parents–Students
– International Journal of Student Voice: https://ijsv.psu.edu/
– Roger Hart UNICEF article: https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/100-childrens-participation-from-tokenism-to-citizenship.html
Empowering our children to share their views about life they are getting ready is the key to a prosperous future.