‘My First March’ by Evie Pugh
On Friday 15th March teenagers across the UK came together to protest against Climate Change. I went to Birmingham to join in.
Me and my friend hopped on the train at Foragate Street and took the 45-minute trip to Birmingham city centre. We were both a bit nervous on train journey there as we had never been to a march before. The Protest was at Victoria Square by the City Council building. I wasn’t too sure how to get there, but that didn’t matter because you could just follow the echo of the chants.
Eventually the sound got louder, and we found where it was happening. All you could see was an ocean of banners (with some very creative messages on I have to say) being sprung into the air. There was a megaphone being passed around so people could have their say and the messages people were coming out with really were inspiring. After a while, more and more people had joined the group we had met there and before we knew it, we were stood up on some bollards chanting and waving our handmade signs in the air. I still have mine under my desk, it said “Earth warning: contents may be hot.” At one point someone was even clinging to a lamppost!
A circle was starting to be formed around the man who had organised the protest in Birmingham. He was armed with a microphone, and like the megaphone, different people were having their say. There were people from High school, right up to University Students talking about Climate Change. It was great to see so many people my age joining in and being so passionate about our future, after all we are the next generation.
The whole day was amazing. I really enjoyed my first march and would go to another one in a heartbeat. I would also say to anyone thinking about going to one, go for it! When your there, and everyone comes together to support the same cause, it’s an unforgettable moment! There are other ways to make a change too, which can be as simple as putting your rubbish in the right bin. I can’t stress enough, from the perspective of a 17-year-old how we need to change what we’re doing and act. I read somewhere that we have 135 months until the effects of climate change are irreversible, so now is the time to make a difference. This topic has never been so real.