A Nanaimo youth is helping lead a movement to empower youth around the world to act and speak out to create a sustainable planet.
Cassandra Elphinstone, 17, a founder of GAIA Activism and member of the Dover Bay Eco Club, is organizing an Environmental Day of Gathering March 16 in Diana Krall Plaza.
The events goals include raising awareness about the planet and sustainable living, environmental issues and poverty in third world countries and discussing the Road to Rio plus 20 event.
Road to Rio is a global youth-led movement, aiming to inspire action on issues of sustainable development, held to coincide with the RIO +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, June 20-22, in Rio de Janeiro.
“One of the main goals is to empower youth and give them more say in things and make them realize that in numbers they can actually make a difference,” said Elphinstone.
Elphinstone and other members of GAIA connected in 2011 during an artic expedition. About 70 youth from around the world travelled in Iceland, Greenland and the Northern Canadian Artic.
After the expedition, a number of participants decided to stay in contact and work on projects to empower youth.
Nanaimo’s event coincides with several Day of Gatherings planned around the world from March 16-25. The event is open to the public and students from various secondary schools will bus to the plaza to participate.
The gathering at Diana Krall Plaza begins at 9:25 a.m. and opens with a speech by Awareness of Climate change through Education and Research, a Vancouver Island University group that seeks to promote a greater understanding of climate change.
Kate Hall, ACER project coordinator, said the event helps students to choose what kind of world they want to live in and giving them the tools to make it how they want it to be.
“Climate change is affecting all of us and all of us are capable of taking action to mitigate the effects,” said Hall.
At 9:45 a.m. attendees will walk to Maffeo Sutton Park where information booths from organizations such as ACER will be available. Poet Kim Goldberg will present her work at 10:20 a.m. and Charles Thirkill, coordinator of Friends of the Millstone River speaks at 10:25 a.m. Elphinstone will close the event with a discussion about Rio +20. Students will board buses to return to school at 10:45 a.m.
Schools interested in participating can contact Elphinstone at 250-758-6344 or Dover Bay secondary School at 250-756-4595.
Elphinstone said buses are available to transport students to and from the event, but schools interested in participating must make arrangements ahead of time to schedule transportation.
For more information, please go to the GAIA Activism Facebook page.
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