Strikers on the Sunshine Coast may have shown up in smaller numbers than at previous climate rallies but the urgency of their message and motivations hasn’t wavered.
“We’re here because of climate change,” said one Grade 7 student from Davis Bay Elementary School. He was eager to show off the sign he was waving at traffic: “We’re skipping our lesson to teach you one.”
A handful of Elphinstone Secondary School students joined several adults at the Davis Bay Pier on the afternoon of Sept. 20, to participate in the first of two global demonstrations taking place on consecutive Fridays.
Initially Fridays for Future chose Sept. 20 for a major strike since it falls ahead of Monday’s United Nations Climate Action Summit, but the protests have since broadened to include numerous groups and demographics.
“The momentum is big,” said elementary school teacher Simon Hocking, who received approval from the Davis Bay Elementary School principal to bring students in Grades 4 to 7 down to the pier for the small rally. The students are worried about climate change, he said, but they’re also inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish high schooler who has galvanized youth around the world to strike on Fridays.
Hocking said rallying gives students hope. That was the case for one Grade 4 student. “When people honk, we know they’ll try to change,” she said.
While millions are reported to have participated in the Sept. 20 strikes, on the Sunshine Coast, there were far fewer students compared to last spring’s youth-led protests at the Davis Bay Pier. Students attributed the diminished numbers to a lack of organization.
About an hour later, some of the same protesters joined others at the top of the bypass in Langdale for another small rally, organized by the Sunshine Coast chapter of Extinction Rebellion. The environmental group has been protesting regularly this summer at the bypass.
The intersection is also the location of several signs for local candidates running in the federal election.
“I’m passed sweeping generalizations about being in transition,” said Elizabeth Neil, an older adult who said she wants federal parties to be focusing on “tangible action,” such as subsidizing the renewable energy sector and creating green job opportunities for oil and gas industry workers.
Neil said she hasn’t joined a protest movement since the 1960s. “This is new, and hopefully it will catch on.”
