Dear Editor,
I understand the desire to listen to your hero in person and marches raise the profile of emergent issues, so I’ll give them yesterday (Oct. 25 climate march). Now, it is time for the young people who attended this rally to strap on their boots and get down to work.
Engaging everyone they can as mentors, liaisons, facilitators and friends, they need to start organizing groups to lobby, conceptualize, study, learn, research and work on solutions; realistic ones and dream ones, practical ones and political ones.
This is how we effect change in real life.
Many of us have long been recycling, reusing, reducing and changing to alternate energy and less polluting solutions. Some are developing ideas that will reduce or eliminate pollutants and emissions. Others are financing these or incorporating them into the work they do.
And, let’s not forget, politicians at all levels are working on policy in this area. The solutions Greta and all who support her want are going to come about only as a group effort made by all generations at all levels.
So, tuck away the Twitter and Instagram posts and assemble those who can help you begin the hard work that always presages societal change.
Richmond has hundreds of community leaders who have experience and numerous agencies who support youth leadership; find them and get started.
Good luck!
Julie Halfnights
RICHMOND
