From back left: Sarah Anglesey, 12, Tessa Coulton, 13, Stella Taingahue, 11, Izzy Pomeroy, 11, Caileigh O'Brien, 13, Gemma Spencer, 11, Lexi Kowalewski, 12, and Kharma Goss, 12.
From back left: Sarah Anglesey, 12, Tessa Coulton, 13, Stella Taingahue, 11, Izzy Pomeroy, 11, Caileigh O'Brien, 13, Gemma Spencer, 11, Lexi Kowalewski, 12, and Kharma Goss, 12.
Stratford Primary School pupils swapped notebooks for placards and took to the Stratford streets to raise awareness of climate change last week.
On Friday a group of Year 7 and 8 pupils left school and headed through town, stopping at key locations on their way to protest what they sayis a lack of action by adults regarding climate change.
Sarah Anglesey, 12, says the pupils organised the protest as part of the Fridays for Future global climate strike movement.
"As it's a global movement, we thought we could do our bit to help. We only have one planet and we need to take care of it, there's no planet b. This is all we have."
Sarah says the pupils organised the protest with the help of their teachers.
Sarah says the group started at the Stratford District Council building.
"They're our local government and they're the best people to talk to. We then walked up Broadway as it's the main street and stood outside New World. We wanted to be in the popular places of Stratford so our message was seen by a lot of people."
Stratford mayor Neil Volzke met with the pupils, asking them to give him some suggestions on what council could do to help. Photo / Ilona Hanne
Stratford District mayor Neil Volzke met up with the group as they stood in Prospero Place.
Praising them for their passion and commitment, he asked them to suggest thigns council could do to help the environment.
More water fountains in the town, and having bins for recycling available in publis places like Prospero Place were the two ideas the group suggested.
"I will take your ideas back to council for us to discuss them. They are good ideas and show how we can all make a difference."
He asked if they had received much support from passing motorists, noting that putting your ideas out into the public arena can mean unwelcome feedback at times.
"Not everyone is always supportive when people stand up for things they believe in. So well done for dealing with the negatives as well as the positives."
They had had a few negative reactions, said Sarah.
The pupils grabbed the attention of motorists on SH3 and were joined by the district mayor who stopped for a chat. Photo / Ilona Hanne
Armed with chalk, the group also wrote their messages on the Prospero Place footpath, somethign they got permission for from council first, says Sarah.
"It will wash off, it's not causing damage, but it means our message is still here after we go today for a bit at least."
The group also wore masks and made sure to follow all rules and regulations at all times, she said.
"We don't want to annoy people, we want to do something positive and keep that the focus of today."
Tessa Coulson, 13, says it's important to look after the environment.
"We only have one planet. We need to look after it. Some of the ways we can do that are reducing plastic, recycling, and upcycling old things into new things. Even just a small change can make a big difference."
Lexi Kowalewski, 12, says change can start with a conversation.
"It all starts with a simple conversation which can inspire others and show them how we need to save our planet. If we protest and speak up we are showing people it's important, and maybe we can inspire others in our generation or maybe another to have the conversation and save our planet.
"We need to change now. Climate change is real, it's scary, and its serious."
