Who We Are
Students from Mount Temple school in Dublin and Afri
What We Did
In the lead up to COP21 in late 2015, the Irish NGO Afri worked with students in Mount Temple School in Dublin on an exciting film and music project. Their aim was to prepare a strong message to send to World leaders who were gathering in Paris for the UN Conference on Climate Change that November. The meeting was critically important for our world and for the future of all of us.
According to 16 year old Keziah Keenan O’Shea, the video is a way for the students to express their concerns and demand action.
Working on this video project helped me realise that world leaders meeting in Paris hold the future in their hands. Our planet is being destroyed and I realise that one voice may not be heard, but when we speak collectively we can make a difference. We need world leaders to open their eyes to the devastating effects of climate change. They need to make choices that favour people over profit, and consider the long term consequences rather than short term gains. We want them to make decisions that benefit everyone, not just the rich and the powerful. They have a responsibility to leave our world habitable for future generations.”
How We Did It
In the video, the students issue an emotional appeal for political leaders to take urgent and radical action on global warming. It features graphic images of climate disasters to the backdrop of ‘bid for a better planet’, a song written by students Louis Butler Lynch and Éanna Ó Suibhne and performed by their classmates.
We care about our planet but we don’t feel like you do.”
Did We Succeed
Sean Boland, writing on Afri’s website about the project, reflected:
We are very pleased with the outcome of our work – this short film represents the creativity, passion and hope of a new generation – young people who can see the madness of destroying our planet through war, violence and an insatiable addiction to fossil fuels… and who are ready and willing to do what they can to bring about change.”
The video also received wider attention, as reported on the Huffington Post.