Entitled We Have the Power, it has been put together to inspire young Islanders to make changes to their lifestyles and to encourage their parents to do likewise.
The organisation’s marketing and events manager Donna Le Marrec said: ‘The project is all about communicating the climate-change emergency to schoolchildren and giving them the tools to do their bit and make a difference – which was the original purpose of the [trust’s] Green House Project ten years ago.’
The initiative has been put together by National Trust senior education officer Erin Cowham and is sponsored by Jersey Electricity. It comprises an educational booklet, a Climate Hub at Moulin de Quétivel in St Peter’s Valley and a programme of events for schools and families linked to climate change and biodiversity loss.
The booklet is being published this week (W/C 25 Jan) and the other elements will follow when Covid-19 restrictions on schools trips and public gatherings are eased.
Miss Cowham said the trust would also launch a youth activism programme linked to United Nations work on climate change.
She said: ‘We are offering many sessions in our schools programme which involve visits and activities inside our new Jersey Electricity-sponsored Climate Hub, outside science sessions and in-school presentations. They will receive the booklets as part of these, so that they have a number of simple take-home actions.
‘We will also be running a number of events during school holidays in the Climate Hub so that visitors can explore the new exhibition. Plus, there is the exciting new Power Rangers initiative that we intend to launch in the Easter holidays.
‘This will be a sort of young environmentalists’ club, where children can attend monthly meetings to discuss climate issues and work towards their Youth and United Nations Global Alliance challenge badges.’
The Climate Hub’s audio and video displays will be powered by a first for Jersey – a hydro-generator installed by Jersey Electricity to generate electricity from the mill’s waterwheel.
‘We are seeing that, increasingly, younger children are concerned about the damage to the world around them so are taking part in things like beach cleans, and young people at the older end of the range are inspired by peers like Greta Thunberg to take action. The hope is that, particularly with the Power Rangers, the older children will help and inspire the younger ones, while developing ways that they can also make a difference.’
News Focus: Pages 8 and 9 of today’s [28 January] JEP.
