I was just 11 when I first started being bullied for my care for our planet. It was sports day and I was practising for the relay race with the other girls. I noticed a commotion and walked over to see a gaggle of girls crowding round a beautiful emerald iridescent Rose Chafer beetle. In an act of hatred, they started trying to squish it with the relay baton one of them held. Instinctively, I reached my hands out to protect the poor beetle, cradling my hands over it as a protective shield. To my astonishment, the girl wielding the metal baton continued to strike it down, beating my hands, leaving them smarting with pain for a couple of hours. The scar that that moment left on my heart, however, lasted a much longer time.
Since that incident, I have had plastic bottles thrown at me when I walked down a corridor, buttercups stuffed into my mouth and had to sit through fellow pupils lavishly describing drooling over a steak when I sat down to eat my plant-based lunch. Smirks, nicknames and taunts ricocheted off corners and followed me like shadows wherever I went at school. Then there was the cruelty I faced online- grown men spitting horrific insults at me behind the guise of phone screens. Posts that I was proud of, like an interview with BBC Look North on Facebook were littered with comments like ‘She’s worse than Greta’, or ‘what a snowflake’, or even on my physical appearance. Yes, this is a 15 year old girl we are talking about.
I have always held an innate compassion and empathy for all life. I dedicated my teenage years to fight to protect it, signing petitions, organising marches, starting my Devotion to Ocean campaign and of course creating Another Way. All that motivated me was a love for this planet we call home, and a desire to make a small positive difference. Yet, I faced cruelty, bullying and psychosocial pressures that sometimes made me feel worthless, driving me to depression and despair. I was lucky, in a way, that I had the strength of my convictions- my faith that I was doing something that should be celebrated, even if it was scorned and punished. For many people, what I went through would have immediately curtailed any efforts to try to enact change. My challenges continued throughout my late teenage years, exacerbated by worsening grief over the destruction of our natural world and the climate crisis, eventually ending in a burnout so awful that I spent 8 months in a wheelchair at university. This is the sad reality of the world we live in; those brave young people who speak out for their future are punished, while those maintaining the status quo are often rewarded.
In a study that Another Way has just commissioned, we have found that 1 in 10 young people involved in environmental initiatives have been physically bullied for this. 54% of young people say that peer pressure has prevented them from taking part in climate action. While corporates fight over ESG and governments dither over taking meaningful and urgent action, real consequences of climate anxiety are widespread in school classrooms and playgrounds.
I want to make sure that no young person suffers what I went through as a child, and that instead young people who care are celebrated and empowered. That’s why I started the Power of 10 movement- with the aim of creating a community of 10,000 resilient and activated young climate leaders. Knowing that you are not alone and that others care too is essential to providing the motivation to act, and in maintaining hope. If you know a young person (11-18) who is suffering from any of the issues mentioned, or who is passionate about taking action for our planet, then here is a guide for how to help:
- Have a conversation. Try to be gentle and listen to their concerns. Ask them what they would like to do to try to help. Show that you are worried too and maybe offer some hopeful stories you have heard. Check out our Conversation Guide at www.powerof10.earth.
- Help them to take action. 75% of young people say that this would lessen their eco-anxiety. This can be anything that they are passionate about, from making an artwork, planting seeds, taking public transport, giving a talk or starting their own campaign.
- Speak to school over any concerns you have. Explain to the teacher how behaviour is unacceptable and how students who care about the environment should be rewarded and recognised for this. Ask them to think about how they could make their environment more supportive.
- Spend time in nature together. Fostering and nurturing your love of wildlife is the best source of joy and nourishment.
- Signpost the young people in your life to the Power of 10 community, a digital platform to support young changemakers with their wellbeing and agency. We provide over 60 resources on how to take action and learn more about loads of different environment topics, an Eco-Anxiety toolkit and good news stories, as well as a safe space to talk to other young people who care. All you need to do is create an account at www.powerof10.earth.
- If your child is struggling with their mental health, consider reaching out to a professional service such as the Young Minds helpline, the Climate Psychology Alliance or Action for Children.
Together, we can spread the message that it’s Cool to Care and support young people to be the incredible, powerful advocates of change for good that the world so badly needs.
By Amy Bray, Another Way Founder & Head of Vision
