In December 2019, 1000 students went on a Climate Change march in Guernsey. Two lockdowns later and the climate change emergency continues.
On Saturday 15th May, the first Guernsey Student Environmental Conference will be hosted at The Ladies’ College; a conference by young people, for young people, to address issues that arose from the Climate Change march, answering the question, “What can I do towards building a sustainable future for my children?”
The Student Environmental Conference will enable young people to voice their opinions as well as learning more about how they can make a difference here in Guernsey. Organisations that work with the environment on our beautiful island will be represented to educate students with how they can volunteer and get more involved. Six interactive workshops will take place in the morning, with each student choosing two to attend.
The Student Environmental Conference workshops will include:
- Deputy Lindsay De Sausmarez will be helping Year 9 students to lead a workshop looking at pollution and climate data with live downloads from satellites.
- A group of Year 11 students from The Ladies’ College will be showing everyone how to use a simple app to measure all the trees on the island and work out just how much carbon dioxide they are using up.
- Year 13 students from The Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre will be leading a session with the Clean Earth Trust, making environmental artwork using some of the litter washed up on our beaches.
- Students from Elizabeth College will be helping to gather ideas about making an observation nature trail for younger children.
- St Sampson High School students will be working with the Asian Hornet Project to look at the invasive species and working out what we can do to stop the spread.
- The Youth Forum are working with Guernsey Waste to deliver a workshop on how to reduce waste and litter on the island.
An innovation slot will allow any young person who has been working to better our environment to have to chance to explain to their peers about what they have been doing.
After a talk from Alex Herschel, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Guernsey Electricity, on Guernsey’s biodiversity, young people will also get a chance to ask Deputies and Business Directors questions about environmental policy and find out what local businesses are doing to work towards increasing sustainability.
At the end of the conference every young person will be given a pencil that can be planted and grow. Students will be encouraged to use the pencil to write down a pledge towards doing their bit for a sustainable future.
The artwork, pictures from Guernsey Photography Society, and a summary of the conference (as recorded by photography students from The Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre and The Ladies’ College) will be on display in the Inner Street Gallery in June.
Any young person between the ages of 11-18 can attend. There will be limited spaces available.
Please follow the link to apply for tickets here.
