Moorlands Climate Action were invited to contribute to a wonderful Youth Conference ‘Together for Our Planet’ held in Buxton on the 10th November. Transition Buxton, with Education outreach leader Frances Sussex, organised the event to coincide with COP 27. Transition Buxton used their ‘Together for Our Planet’ National Lottery grant to fund it.
Beforehand, schools in Buxton, High Peak and Leek/Buxton College were sent a PowerPoint presentation, outlining the idea and aims of the ‘Together for our Planet’ Youth Conference, plus an invitation to take part. Teachers were encouraged to ask students to discuss and decide what questions they wanted answering about climate/environmental topics. They were also encouraged to list positive actions that they were already doing at school to help the planet. Students were to bring their questions and actions to share at the conference.
On the day, over 100 young people and 40 plus adults chose to take part and learn from each other, sharing ideas about how to live more sustainably. At the end of the conference, there were plenty of suggestions and ideas for action from the young people, plus pertinent questions for local, national and world leaders of both government and industry.
The event was very well organised with plenty of local climate, environmental and youth groups attending. Volunteer helpers were on hand to welcome and guide participants, as well as oversee safety and safeguarding. At the start, students were with their school groups and teachers, trying out a ‘climate quiz’ and deciding which of the 9 topic areas they wished to focus on for the morning. They could choose from Food, Energy, Fashion, Water, Wildflowers/Pollinators, Biodiversity/Nature/Wildlife, Plastic and Travel/Transport. Recycling was situated outside with the brilliant Alliance Staffordshire Moorlands staff and their ‘Dennis to the Rescue’ truck!
Two young people opened the conference and welcomed all the students, teachers and organisations involved. MCA shared the discussion group Sustainability and Fast Fashion with Climate Pathfinders Youth Forum (CPYF). We discussed sustainability and environmental issues including fashion waste, transport, landfill and fair wages, plus how the problems of Fast Fashion might be addressed. Resources from Fashion Revolution were shared, plus the value of clothes share/swaps both locally and at school.
Students, including those from (CPYF) and Leek/Buxton College, suggested positive ways of influencing more young people through social media and involving influencers to share the true cost of Fast Fashion. They felt that big clothing companies and manufacturers needed to be influenced through petitions and raising wider public awareness. Breaking down the stigma of wearing charity shop clothing was highlighted as important too. Many of the schools already organise sharing outgrown uniforms at school. Younger members were interested in making fun badges or motifs out of wool or cotton to repair holes and tears in jumpers or jeans.
During the afternoon, 2 students from each school/college met with High Peak Council Climate Officer, Gillian Wright, and Derbyshire County Council’s Georgina Greaves to discuss how councils could support their aims and to answer their questions, an excellent example of helping young people to have a voice in issues that affect them.
It was a very successful day and a pleasure to be part of such a valuable experience where young people were given their chance to speak out. We were all able to learn so much from each other too, finding ways together to help our planet.
Moira