Cornish schoolchildren gather for Earth Day and The Power of 10 Festival on the Penryn campus
Around 200 students from Cornwall’s secondary schools have gathered on the University of Exeter’s Penryn campus in Cornwall for a special event celebrating Earth Day.
Organised by environment education charity Another Way, pupils from 15 schools attended the Power of 10 Festival, focused on helping them to discover their unique skillsets for tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.
Attended by keynote speakers and local environmental organisations, the children took part in creative workshops that ranged from handling insects to experiencing a kelp forest through Virtual Reality. They also had the opportunity to quiz local politicians about environmental policies.
“It is clear that young people are passionate about their futures and the impact of climate change is a key factor,” said Amy Bray, CEO and founder of Another Way. “Our focus is on providing these young people with education and an environment that allows them to explore and be comfortable protecting our natural world. Cornwall sees our second Power of 10 Festival replicating the success of our inaugural event in Cumbria last year.”
Among the highlights from the day included the pupils making music through plants with the Tree Council; holding insects and learning about their unique roles in various ecosystems with the University of Exeter’s Teaching Lab; creating art from vegetable-based paints with local artist Sam Bradbury; and experiencing lively seagrass meadows through VR headsets with the Ocean Conservation Trust.
The students were also encouraged to investigate the complex emotions that often accompany climate action in an eco-anxiety workshop with sustainability expert Jake Causley, and quiz Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham and Councillor Dominic Fairman on local environmental policies.
“It was so cool to see how we can talk to our MPs and speak up about the things we believe in,” remarked Festival attendee Bellamy.
Among the other organisations that took part were Ocean Generation, RJ Working, Cornwall Climate Care, Surfers Against Sewage, and representatives from Falmouth Town Council’s Motion4TheOcean programme.
“The children were really great, they understood the problem of climate change and had really good questions to ask about what happens now,” said Professor Martin Siegert, Vice-President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, Cornwall. “Engaging schoolchildren in this important topic is fundamental for their future, fundamental for their understanding, and ultimately fundamental for the success of achieving a net-zero society.”
The day was also generously supported by the Duchy of Cornwall and Cornwall Council.
To get involved with Another Way’s Power of 10 movement, please visit their website.
