She is only 17 but runs from one meeting to the next, from round table to task force. Zélie Guisset is a pupil in her final year at the European School of Luxembourg and, like thousands of young people in Luxembourg and elsewhere, she takes action for the climate.
While the movement Youth for Climate organises weekly strikes and protests in Belgium, Germany or Sweden, in Luxembourg the big date is 15 March, for a large scale demonstration.
Some twenty secondary schools all over the Grand-Duchy have geared up and social media is buzzing to gather and organise this get together which will start on Glacis to walk towards the City Centre. "Based on the estimates given by schools and the attendance confirmations on the Facebook event, I think we can reach 10 000 people", hopes Zélie.
Inspired by the verve and commitment Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old Swedish girl who has called on Heads of State and ministers about the climate crisis, Luxembourgish youth is growing wings and discovering political and civil participation. Zélie likens this to an express learning process about participatory democracy: "There is a lot of engagement, many young people who know how to defend their ideas have devoted themselves to the cause. We cannot not be worried about climate issues, it's our future."
She continues: "We are justified, because this is about our future. Striking is a way of communicating that climate change will have a bigger impact on us than our studies or diplomas."
From the following day onward, the round tables and task forces will keep thinking of their next steps, proposals and demands. The students, of course, will keep up their mobilisation.
