Changing the world
In a collective effort to raise awareness and promote sustainability, nearly 100 Grade 7-10 students from schools throughout the Border Land School Division gathered in Altona Feb. 28 for the Generating Momentum for Our World youth conference.
Hosted by the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC), the conference centered around the theme of “Fast Fashion”and its impact on the environment.
Throughout the day, attendees engaged in a series of fun and insightful workshops, such as hands-on clothes mending, and a board game designed to explore the life cycle of clothing.
BLSD superintendent Krista Curry said the hope is that these lessons will have a lasting impact on students as they strive to be advocates for positive change in the world.
“We have a school division priority which is education for sustainable development (ESD). So we have a priority committee of teachers, administrators, and me who are studying sustainable goals, and we talked about how we can bring in student voices and generate momentum in our students. MCIC does this conference, so we partnered with them to bring it to Border Land. Their goal is to build awareness on global issues.”
Curry said they want the kids to share what they learned and generate momentum for change in their schools.
“In May we are coming together as an ESD committee to plan ahead, and we want to invite some students to provide a voice in our planning.”
The conference sparked some thoughtful conversations among students.
After learning that only one per cent of the world’s clothing is being recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills, and that most people only wear an item 10 to 12 times before discarding it, the consensus among students suggested a shift in thinking, opting for second-hand clothing through donations, thrift stores, and even crafting their own items.
Many shared a newfound commitment to sustainability, emphasizing the impact even one person can make.
Rebecca Kleinsasser, who attends one of the division’s colony schools, emphasized the importance of personalization and reuse to minimize the environmental impact.
“I learned about how when you make one kilogram of clothes, it releases about 20 to 30 kg of greenhouse gas.”
She said her family believes in hand-me-downs, noting that the dress she was wearing used to belong to her sister. She emphasized the value of making your own clothes.
“You can reuse them. If you don’t, it impacts the planet.”
Kleinsasser plans to invite a few of the girls from the other colonies to make a presentation about what she learned at the conference.
École Parkside School student Satali Braun Liu-Asomua expressed concern for the labour conditions in the fashion industry, especially concerning child labour.
“Children have been making clothes instead of going to school and having fun. They barely get paid, and they live in terrible small places, and it’s really hard to live. And they don’t even get to go to school. They’re forced to work.”
Shevchenko School student Josué Bourchard said, “This conference has really made me think about the whole fashion thing. I’ll try not to throw as many clothes away.”
MCIC education specialist Amanda Benson said talking to teachers and students about global sustainability is one of their big priorities.
“The idea behind the theme, generating momentum, is to have a spattering of students from all different schools across the division go back to their schools and communities with what they’ve learned and generate momentum with their peers.”
Benson said it’s important for people to know how the decisions we make affect people that we seldom think about.
“From the person who made it to the person who sells it, there are so many more steps than we really think about. The whole idea is being more globally aware, to think about the items you have, and learn how to take care of them.
“And remember that the most sustainable piece of clothing is the item you already own.”
