Four years after the creation of the Fridays for Future school strike movement by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, thousands of young people will in turn skip class this Friday, September 23 to raise awareness of the climate emergency.
In total, more than 700 gatherings are expected around the world, including several dozen in France alone: Paris, Grenoble, Lille, Bordeaux, Marseille, Caen…
Pablo Flye and Alice Dubois, both spokespersons for the French branch of Fridays for Future, detail their demands: “We want to show political and economic leaders the expectations of our generation in the fight against global warming. And we want to say that we expect from them a break in the way of managing this crisis.”
If the climate issue worries a large part of the French, young people are particularly affected: 71% of 15-17 year olds say they are afraid of the future, compared to 67% of the general population, according to a recent study carried out by Qare. For more than one in three young people, these negative eco-emotions even impact their mental health.
Pablo and Alice add: “We also want to be prepared by the school to face this major challenge. And no training should prepare us for a profession that is incompatible with the fight against global warming. We must be listened to because our future is at stake. We want to live, not survive.”
The climate issue is already addressed in certain secondary school subjects, such as SVT, geography or economics and social sciences. On the other hand, it is more discreet in higher education: only 11% of courses systematically address the climate issue in their common core, according to a report by the Shift Project published in 2019.
One solution would be to give teachers the means to broach the subject more with their students, whatever the subject taught. Some higher education establishments have also chosen to add hours dedicated to the environment in their courses.
NOWU is the positive media to get informed and get moving for the planet! Its mission: to enable young Europeans to become actors in the face of environmental challenges through content that relieves guilt and focuses on solutions.