As part of the very successful Energy Fair that was held recently, Youth Engagement offered children and family activities upstairs in the Rainbow Room.

All the activities were linked to energy in some way, including a simple circuit, wind up torches, electrical ‘buzz’ games, a static electricity experiment, making model houses with tiny solar panels and making windmills and energy superhero colouring sheets. We were also fortunate to have some real solar panels outside on the balcony which we could show to everyone. Most people had never seen them close up before!

During the day we had about a dozen customers, all of whom seemed to enjoy themselves. While they were taking part in the activities we had the opportunity to chat to the children and their parents about energy, climate change and Moorlands Climate Action: raising awareness and maybe recruiting some new members. We gave out one of our Activity Packs to everyone who came.

Read more: Family Activities at the Energy Fair

Peter, who is only ten, has been at 4th Leek Scouts for a few months now.  At one meeting a few weeks ago we were talking about Climate Change and he suddenly said he wished there was a big button we could press to stop it!

Read more: Peter - Young Climate Activist in Leek

Our Youth Engagement group have been busy!  Last year, we completed our main project which was to produce a Climate Activity Pack for Children, Families and Schools. Our pack has now been printed and we have already begun to distribute it to families and children who visit our MCA stall in Leek Market Place. Our MCA Climate Activity Pack is Free and available at all our MCA events this year including the Energy Fair on April 3^rd at the Foxlowe. 

For this year, our Youth Engagement Team is focussing on a major project which aims to introduce ‘Moorlands Wild Week’ to schools. The idea for this project, was first successfully developed in Buxton by Jackie Wragg, Youth Engagement Officer for South West Peak Landscape Partnership.  To find out more about our Climate Activity Pack and how you can get involved in our exiting Moorlands Wild Week project read on!.....

Read more: Climate Activity Pack for Children, Families and Schools

In desperation at the slow progress of world Governments to halt the climate crisis, children and young adults’ voices have become louder and, it seems, they may be being heard at last! This is not just the result of school strikes or demonstrations but by their direct communication with political and business leaders. Now, they are invited to speak to world audiences at international climate events, some resorting to legal means, seeking climate justice for the world and their future.

In September 2020 we highlighted 6 young Portuguese climate activists who, through the global legal action network and youth4climate justice took 33 countries to the Court of Human Rights. This, they argued, was for failing to play their part in averting a climate catastrophe. We now know that the Strasbourg court made this case a priority! Last year, the defence of each of those 33 Governments was passed to the youth-applicant’s legal team to respond to by January 12th 2022. Climate experts are now gathering further supportive evidence. We wish them luck and wait to see what happens.

Read more: Young Climate Activists - Are their voices being heard?

Young Climate Activist – Greta Thunberg

“Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah blah blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah.”  Says Greta Thunberg. 

As perhaps the world’s most well-known young climate activist, Greta spoke at the recent Youth4Climate summit in Milan, Italy, dismissing the words of “our so called leaders” as “Words that sound great but so far have not led to action.”

Greta’s solo climate strike in 2018 generated a youth movement where millions of young climate protesters across the world began their ‘school strike’,  calling for Government to listen, to halt fossil fuel extraction, reduce carbon emissions and address pollution.  It was their young lives and future that was being put at risk by the inaction of our world leaders.

Read more: ‘Blah, Blah, Blah’

Do you want to be a Climate Hero? If you are between 6-15 years old you can be! AND receive a Blue Peter Green Badge which gives you FREE entry to 200 attractions!

BBC and CBBC programme Blue Peter are offering young people the chance to be Climate Heroes. If you are eligible to apply or, if you know of a young person who might like to apply here’s how…..

What do you have to do?

To apply for your Blue Peter Green Badge, you agree to carry out three pledges and keep doing them for two weeks.

1st Pledge – Power – is about ways you can reduce your use of electricity
2nd Pledge – Plastic - is about ways of reducing your use of plastic and recycling
3rd Pledge – Plants - is about planting pollinator plants and saving water

To find out more about what you can do go to this website: -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/blue-peter-apply-for-a-green-badge

How to apply

When you have completed your three Power, Plastic and Plants Pledges for at least two weeks, you click on the link given on the website. Tell them what you’ve done and upload your photos and artwork to show how much you care about nature, the environment and your planet.

To apply for your green badge, you must:-

• Be between 6 – 15 years old.
• Ask your parent or guardian for permission and ask them to read the Privacy Notice.

Thousands of children will have done these activities and applied for their green badge. This means it may take a while to arrive but Blue Peter promises every applicant will get one.

Blue Peter is a children’s programme that has been running for a long time. Their Blue Peter badges have been sought after by generations of young people for over 50 years. (Ask adults in your family if they have ever received one). This time Blue Peter is helping you to save the planet by reducing our carbon emissions, recycle and reduce plastic waste and help nature and the environment.
Go on… Be A Climate Hero!