Education News in Brief

Climate Strike’s Young Activists

By Stephen Sawchuk — March 20, 2019 2 min read
Maddy Fernands, one of the leaders of Youth Climate Strike U.S., protests earlier this year at the Minnesota state house in St. Paul.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Is climate change the next face of student activism? It is, if Maddy Fernands and Isra Hirsi have anything to say about it.

They are two of the four young women leading Youth Climate Strike U.S., the stateside offshoot of an international youth movement that began when Swedish student Greta Thunberg started skipping school on Fridays to protest climate change on the steps of the Swedish parliament building in Stockholm.

As Education Week went to press last Friday, Fernands and Hirsi were gearing up to join thousands of American students, and their peers in more than 90 countries, who were walking out of their schools to demand that policymakers take swift action to curb the effects of global warming.

At 16, both young women are already seasoned activists. They hope their March 15 day of action will attract general attention to the urgent danger of climate warming. A United Nations panel says countries may have just a decade before warming leads to catastrophic damage and human costs. In the United States, such an action is also squarely political: The Trump Administration has rolled back several environmental policies and pulled the nation out of the Paris Agreement, an international climate-control agreement.

“It’s the most powerful thing I as a student can do,” Fernands said. “I am refusing to participate in maintenance of a societal system that has allowed this catastrophe to unfold.” The students’ goals are ambitious. They include calling for policymakers to adopt and flesh out the Green New Deal, a broad vision for environmental action introduced as a joint resolution in Congress, to shift the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels.

Their work also arises as an increasing number of educators say schools must improve the dosage and quality of civics education—but are divided over how the new waves of youth activism that have propelled the March for Our Lives movement and the climate strikes should dovetail with school curricula. Tellingly, the young people reported strikingly different experiences on their civic preparation for this moment.

Fernands fondly recalled watching CNN and analyzing polling data in her math class, and she spoke positively about what she picked up about the messy political process from a government course.

But Hirsi said most of what she’s learned about lobbying and legislation came from her own research and experience. (And probably also her mom, who happens to be U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat.)

“School hasn’t really taught me that much,” she said. “I understand there are three branches of government but that’s pretty much it.”

A version of this article appeared in the March 20, 2019 edition of Education Week as Climate Strike’s Young Activists

Events

Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction Across Content Disciplines
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts implementing innovative strategies in reading across different subjects.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Nov. 26, 2024
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2018, in Washington.
Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2018, in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Education Briefly Stated: October 23, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 2, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 18, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read