Take five minutes every Friday to take action on important issues to make a difference. By adding our voices together we will amplify our impact and make sure that we are heard on important issues. Our initial focus will be changes at local level – Manchester Council, Greater Manchester, the airport, schools, clean air. Let’s get our councillors and MPs acting on our behalf and listening to our concerns.
Every Friday we will share an email and a message to be shared on social media.
You will need to know who your local councillors are and their email addresses. https://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/councillors.php?viewBy=name
You can also find your MP’s details at https://www.writetothem.com
Let’s make this happen. Share the event with friends, tag people.
5th April
Thanks for taking action on this. Keeping up pressure on the council over their lack of support for climate strikers is really important. (Not quite sure why? Watch the video below) Please personalise as much as you feel comfortable with.
Personalise the email – change the email as much or as little as you want. It is important to add your own personal intro message. If you are happy to build a relationship with your councillor it is helpful to ask their thoughts, say that you know they are probably worried too, request that they respond to your email. If you don’t feel confident to do this then say that you don’t expect a reply but that you want them to be aware of your thoughts on this topic.
Thanks!
To: Your councillors (Find yours at https://www.manchester.gov.uk/manchestercouncillors)
Cllr Angeliki Stogia (Lead Executive for Environment) cllr.a.stogia@manchester.gov.uk
Richard Leese (Leader of the Council) r.leese@manchester.gov.uk
Subject: Please support climate strikers
Dear Cllr Stogia/Angeliki
Please reconsider your position on climate strikers.
Dear Cllr
I am writing to you to get your support in asking Manchester City Council to reconsider its position on the climate strikers.
This week parents at Chorlton High received a letter detailing fines and potentially prosecution should students take unauthorised absence. This is a very difficult position for parents of climate strikers and is inevitably going to impact upon numbers able to attend the strikes.
Climate scientist Professor Julia Steinberger took time out of the IPCC conference to make a personal video appeal to Manchester City Council to support the strikers. I understand that you’re busy but of course, so is she. I really hope that you will watch this very short video, just 5min 14 seconds.
It is hugely important that we support the climate strikers. Climate breakdown is an existential threat to our survival, to the futures of our children and to all life on Earth. As Professor Steinberger says in the video, the actions of the strikers have supported and influenced numerous politicians to take stronger action on climate breakdown. This is invaluable.
I would love to hear back from you on your thoughts on this, and on how you could help persuade the council to support the climate strikers.
Best wishes
Partial transcript
“I’ve been encouraged and inspired by striking students. I want to give my personal and professional appreciation of what your children have started. Congratulations on raising them well. They have really started a seismic shift and when I talk to colleagues at the opening ceremony here at the IPCC the fact that striking students are there demanding significant powerful change, that we take their futures seriously, that we take their engagement seriously is carrying a lot of us forward.
Nicola Sturgeon said that they influence her in her work as well, she said that she was both shamed and inspired by the striking students and encouraged to move forward on significant action on climate change. And I think this is true for many politicians. The students are helping them move forward, demand urgency, demand climate emergencies and take much stronger and more proactive action than they would otherwise.
“I was quite disappointed that Manchester City Council are not having the same kind of statement. That Manchester City Council in particular are threatening to fine the parents of striking students which I think is completely unacceptable. And also raising questions about the safety of students at the strikes. I understand the safety concerns.”
“It is the responsibility of the security, the police and of the city council and the authorities to make sure that these protests happen in the best way possible.”
“We are not raising our children in a safe environment. Full stop. Because of climate change, and that is the reason they are striking, because we have failed in our duty as parents, in our duty as grown-ups, as the generation that should have allowed all future generations to live safely. That is something that we are failing to do across the board and that is why they are striking.”
“A really important aspect of the safety debate is that we need to remember is that safety is not just the safety of the children who are striking while they are striking we are talking about the safety of their entire future.”
FOR TWITTER
Climate scientist @JKSteinberger makes a personal plea for @ManCityCouncil to support #ClimateStrike
@angelikiStg @XR_MCR @familiesrising
#ParentsForFuture #GMGreenCity #ActNOWforFuture #FridaysForFuture
manchester climate monthly 