Inspired by the international COP28 climate conference taking place later this year, students aged between 13 and 16 will attend a climate conference all of their own.
The inaugural Conference of Ribble Valley Schools – CORVS1 – will take place on June 23 at Stonyhurst College.
Organised by the Ribble Valley Climate Action Network (RVCAN), high school students will listen to keynote speakers, debate sustainability and climate issues, and create pledges to tackle environmental issues in their own schools.
The lead organiser for CORVS1, David Rawkins, said: “While much of the debate at COP28 will relate to young people, young people themselves rarely get the chance to speak up.
"CORVS1 is about empowering young people to take the lead, to voice their concerns, and to learn about the pressing policy issues.”
Students will share personal experiences of environmental best practice in their own schools and leave with pledges for further action over the next 12 months.
The schools taking part this year include Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Ribblesdale High School, Bowland High School, Pleckgate School, St Cecilia’s School, Oakhill College, and St Augustine’s High School.
The Ribble Valley Climate Action Network hosts a range of local events, forums and initiatives designed to inform and engage the community on the impact of climate change.
Mr Rawkins said: "When people consider climate change, they might think of hurricanes, heatwaves and blizzards.
"But we are seeing the impact of climate change here every day, from the increasingly heavy cycles of drought and flood eroding the banks of the Ribble, to dramatic changes to wildlife migration patterns.
"Too often people insist that action on climate change is someone else’s responsibility.
"The problems we face not only affect each and every one of us, but can only be solved with collective action.
"We all need to engage, we all need to participate, we all need to face up to the urgency of the matter.”
The keynote speakers will be Miranda Barker, an environmental consultant and chief executive of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, and Stephen Sykes, the Chamber’s director of sustainability.
They will share insights from their attendance at COP26 and COP27 as well as the upcoming COP28.
Mr Rawkins added: "Our aim is to see pupils being the initiators of a greener, more sustainable way of operating in our schools and colleges.
"Hopefully by the time we reach CORVS28, we will have a generation of young people fully informed and engaged on climate issues and policy solutions.”
Councillor Aaron Wilkins-Odudu – lead youth organiser at RVCAN and a Clitheroe Royal Grammar School A-level student – will join an expert panel to take questions from pupils.
Presentations will also be made by Jack Spees from the Ribble Rivers Trust, Daniel McDonagh from the social enterprise Class of Your Own, and climate analyst Sylvester Bamkole.
The CORVS conferences are set to become an annual gathering, expanding to more schools across the region from 2024.
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