Students marched to the State House in Montpelier to share their concerns about climate change on Friday, April 14th. Every year, Youth Lobby, a student-led organization that meets frequently to discuss and take action on climate change, puts together this event for students to share their voices directly to our state representatives.

Junior Jenna Hirschman has been a part of the Youth Lobby since last year. She shared that organizations like Youth Lobby help amplify student voices.

“The Rally for the Planet brings together students from across the state unified for student action,” Hirschman wrote by email. “It gives students the opportunity to engage in government and have a say in their futures, which is extremely important.”

9th grader, Pankti Desai attended the Rally this year, and she also thinks that it is important for people to come together in events like this. 

“I am a firm believer that everybody should be striving to make the world a better place in any way they can,” she wrote. “I believe that by spreading awareness about certain issues and getting involved with these movements, you are actively making the world a better place to live in.”

Desai also wrote about how the event gave her hope for the future.

“A lot of times we think we’re alone in what we are fighting for, [but]… it shows that people care and are willing to help just as much as you are. It felt empowering and unifying to be there with all those people who want the same thing that I do.”

Hirshman agreed that there can be an overarching “feeling of doom” when it comes to climate change, but seeing all of the students from around the state gives her hope.

“There is something really powerful about seeing hundreds of students march down the street. It was my first rally and really the first time I saw our collective effort in planning come to life.”

“Even if it might not be your thing, you’ll definitely learn something new,” Desai wrote, “and it’s really important that we all try and fight for the planet.”

If you are interested in learning more about Youth Lobby, you can reach out to Jenna Hirschman at [email protected].