On Wednesday 13 March 2019, over 150 Emanuel Primary and High School students rallied to voice their concerns about the global climate crisis. The student-led event, which was held at Emanuel School, was an outstanding success with Primary and High School students passionately sharing their feelings and research about the crisis. The Hon. Dr Kerryn Phelps AM MP joined the rally and congratulated the students on their insights, passion and courage to stand up and make a difference.
The Primary School’s Green Team, a group of Primary students who are passionate about addressing climate change and other environmental concerns, worked hard to develop the event concept, create posters for the rally and spread the word to their peers.
Lia McLellan, Year 5, eloquently shared her feelings with the gathering: “We are experiencing extremely hot summers, excruciatingly cold winters, rising water levels like never before, and it’s all thanks to us. Our actions are costing the world.
“As kids, we don’t have a huge say in what happens. We look to our parents and leaders to make the important decisions in our world. Right now it seems that they’re doing a really bad job. In fact, they’ve completely failed us when it comes to ensuring that we have a bright future ahead. Some grown-ups don’t think climate change is real. Some grown-ups just ignore it because it’s not their future or their problem. So, we need to take action because they aren’t. I want to act now. But I can’t act alone. We all need to work together to change the future. So, let’s act now Emanuel!”