Young people and ecology: between anxieties and the will to act


This summit organized by the Monique-Fitz-Back Foundation was canceled in 2020, then offered in virtual form last year. This time, a hundred young people aged 12 to 17, from all over Quebec, will meet and talk about the environment.

To participate, everyone registered voluntarily. No forced presence or school obligation, it is indeed a personal commitment.

These are young people who are already very sensitive to the climate cause, who are eager to learn and above all to share what they do and to network with other young people who have the same values ​​as them.informs Émilie Robitaille, general coordinator at the foundation.

Act at his level

Overconsumption, limiting single-use plastic… secondary school students know a lot about these issues. And the health crisis has not come to the end of their ambitions.

During the pandemic, many projects and actions have been put on hold. Now, young people want to go further, to take the next step, to carry out large-scale projects.

Young people want to have a real impact within their community, to feel that they are part of a change and that change is happening. »

A quote from Émilie Robitaille, general coordinator at the Monique-Fitz-Back Foundation

At the Joseph-François-Perrault school, chemin Sainte-Foy in Quebec City, many teenagers took action.

Ecology occupies a central place in our establishment and it is thanks to our studentsconfides Doreen Perreault, animator of spiritual life and community involvement in this establishment.

Madeleine Patenaude, 16, has set up the 0 waste snack. Every Wednesday and Friday morning, she and her comrades distribute nuts, dried fruits and cookies in bulk collected at the La Récolte store, on Cartier Avenue.

While the school already has a hydroponic greenhouse inside which grow herbs and vegetables, Flavie Bouchard, 16, and others are organizing to equip the cafeteria with a green wall.

Antonin Girard, 14, is one of those trying to implement a composting system.

Students sitting on wooden structures listening to a teacher teaching them outside.

When the weather is nice, some classes take place outside at the Joseph-François-Perrault school.

Photo: Courtesy of Joseph-François-Perrault School

In addition to our garden, we have also set up our outdoor spaces to be classy outside. It should also come back soon with the good weatheradds Doreen Perreault.

Antonin Girard is in a hurry. Studies prove that in a natural environment, we learn better. Enjoying the good weather makes the students happy.

The worry of uncertain tomorrows

These young people are taking action; that doesn’t stop them from feeling helpless sometimes.

It’s difficult as a teenager not to have concrete powers and with social networks, to be constantly inundated with information. It puts us in this position where we can’t do anything, backed into a corner, and at the same time, we know absolutely everything that’s going on.supports Flavie Bouchard.

Anger, frustration, depression, sadness… Madeleine, Flavie, Antonin and their friends all know the symptoms of eco-anxiety. They are its prey.

Adults say, ‘Oh, young people are always depressed’, but young people are always depressed because they are being pressured to save the future of an entire species. It’s still hugeloose Antonin Girard.

Suffering from eco-anxiety when you care about preserving the environment is almost inevitable, notes Isabelle Béliveau, the founder and general manager of the Éco-motion collective.

Fighting against climate change gives us the impression of being engaged in a war that we must win at all costs because our survival depends on it. It’s like having the weight of the world on our shoulders.

As worried as they are, the adults of tomorrow remain hopeful. The Monique-Fitz-Back Foundation launched a survey last fall among 12 to 18-year-olds in Quebec.

A woman being interviewed by videoconference.

Émilie Robitaille is the general coordinator of the Monique-Fitz-Back Foundation.

Photo: Radio-Canada

We received more than 1,000 responses and we see that the vast majority of young people believe that there is still time to fight against climate change.says Emilie Robitaille.

The final word goes to Antonin Girard who recalls the obvious: It’s not up to young people to save the world, it’s up to everyone to do it because everyone pollutes. Everyone has a responsibility.



Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca

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