Amelia Jury is organising Strike 4 Climate in Whanganui, on September 27. Photo / Laurel Stowell
Amelia Jury is organising Strike 4 Climate in Whanganui, on September 27. Photo / Laurel Stowell
She spoke at Whanganui's School Strike For Climate on March 15 and Amelia Jury is now organising another one - this time open to people of any age.
The Strike 4 Climate starts at 10am on Friday, September 27, in Majestic Square, marches to the Whanganui District Council office, thenspreads out into a community rubbish clean-up starting at the Whanganui River.
Jury is working with other Year 11 students at Whanganui Girls' College - Sophie Archer, Marianne Arthur, Tamiqua Hughes and Jayda McCaw. She has joined the national School Strike 4 Climate NZ group.
Their school is considering whether to give students who attend "justified absence".
A second strike was needed to protect our environment, Jury said.
Whanganui District Council is doing things to adapt to climate change but "it sometimes feels like they're not doing enough, and they scrapped the idea of declaring a climate emergency".
The girls would like more environmental awareness about activities in everyday life. They are keen to see better public transport too.
"My brother goes to [Whanganui] High School and my mum has to pick him up and drop him off every day," Jury said.
Whanganui Girls' College students used chalk drawings to spread word about the strike. Photo / Laurel Stowell
The strike has been publicised on Facebook. Jury is planning more publicity through posters and chalk drawings, and there may be a workshop to make banners and signs.
At Majestic Square on the day there will be an open mic for speeches. Jury will speak and she's expecting Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall and some Whanganui councillors to speak as well.
After that the crowd will march to the council office via Maria Pl, and people will present their ideas on how the council can react to climate change. The council is in the midst of public consultation on its response to climate change.
The nationwide strike will also show Government that people want more action.
Organising it is a lot of work, Jury is finding.
"It's hard to fit that in with school. We have got exams soon, and it's an extra stress load. But if other people in the country can do it then so can I."
