Youngsters from Grasmere School & Nursery have been working on a project called Get Creative for Climate Justice – using artwork and creativity to explain how they feel about climate justice and its effects.

The initiative is a partnership between CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Save the Children and Send My Friend to School, with support from the Climate Coalition, and is aimed at celebrating and amplifying young people’s voices on the climate crisis.

Children were asked to come up with artistic ways of sharing their opinions about climate change and their hopes for the planet and everyone who shares it.

Their work is then put on display in a school exhibition with local MPs, councillors and members of the public, invited to go along to hear the messages from the students.

Pieces from each school are also selected for a national online gallery, as well as an exhibition in the Houses of Parliament, to inspire MPs and Ministers to take action.

Grasmere School is holding its exhibition, which is open to the public, from Monday November 6, to Monday December 4, in St Oswald’s Church, Grasmere.

The centrepiece of the Climate Justice exhibition in St Oswald’s Church #grasmere, is this installation: Artist: All the juniors at Grasmere School
Title: “Scales of Injustice” #getcreative4climatejustice

According to the school, the ‘greedy snake’ represents the industrialised rich nations who have caused climate change.

The snake is sitting on innocent apples. These are the countries who are most affected by climate change, and least able to help themselves, and innocent children, who are going to have to live with this problem.

It is made of recycled materials; milk bottles from a local café, old diaries and packaging.
The green scales show the impact of climate change. The red scales are shouts for help. The white scales are chemical gases which are causing the problem.

There are baby snakes and old snakeskin surrounding the apples. A snake sheds its skin, and this should be an opportunity to grow into a new and better way to be. But the snake has just kept on getting larger and greedier.

The snake’s eggs, and the hatching baby snakes amongst the apples show the dangers of greed in the future.

They said: “We thought that a snake would be a good symbol, because of the serpent who tempts in the bible.

“People are tempted into looking after themselves, not others. We have displayed it around the font, to remind us of the innocence of babies and children, and to point out how unjust the impact of the climate crisis is on them.

“We have all made this together. First we talked and talked.

“Then we collected resources, painted scales, chose pictures, glued, made models of fruit, attached scales, made ‘snakeskin’ and displayed the finished artwork.”

The staff at the school also said they hope people find the piece ‘thought provoking’.

Headteacher Jo Goode added: “The thinking process has been really helpful to the children – clarifying their ideas and giving them a voice. The global situation can feel rather hopeless to children sometimes, and this project has been great because it has really given them an opportunity to be heard. They have strong views about climate change and how it is affecting not only their community but other places in the world.”

A spokesperson from Christian Aid, one of the charities involved, said: “The children’s work has been inspiring and varied, with a mix of challenging calls for justice, as well as some powerful and hopeful visions for a just and sustainable future.

“Their amazing creativity sends a loud and clear climate justice message to MPs and government ministers.”