The largest climate protest worldwide Friday, Sept. 20 has the number of participants still in the accounting process. Organizers estimate that there were approximately four Million protesters worldwide in between 150 and 163 countries and on all seven continents in approximately 2,500 events. Germany is estimated to have formed the largest number of participants, 1.4 Million. The United States may have approached one Million climate change participants, led by New York City with 250,000. Other cities with large numbers included Chicago, Boston, Miami, and San Francisco.
Naperville was part of the protests. See page 1. Involvement, regardless of numbers, was the important aspect. Certainly a 16-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, made an impression. Reports say she has worked for more than a year for the protest day.
The question is where does the protest movement move? Will it have more than a small ripple affect? Will it gain momentum? Will minds change and will convictions to ensure society’s changes stand fast?
Primarily the young were participants. Greta Thunberg was not alone.
• Youth involvement included Saturday’s Youth Leadership Summit in the morning at the Prisco Center in Aurora. The event was sponsored by the Aurora city government Innovation Department. Youthful Adam Pauley was one of the originators. He was one of approximately 120 in attendance, mostly from East Aurora High School. See page 1.
There were four session speakers who rotated around the seated youth in quadrants. The speakers and their topics: Val Humphrey, communication styles; Marianne Renner, leadership styles; Jose Zambrano, planning and goal-setting, and conflict resolution, Mr. Fechner. The closing speaker was Simon Rodriguez of the Aurora city government. Other speakers included Adrienne Holloway of the Innovation Department, and, Chris Lauzen, chairman of the Kane County Board. Organizers plan to hold an event next year with a greater number of students involved.
• The annual Crop Hunger Walks will be in October in many communities in DuPage, Kane, and Kendall Counties. Naperville, Downers Grove, Carol Stream, Elgin, are some of the communities reported as host sites for the benefit of those who face food insecurity.
• The Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry named Judge Rene Cruz and Silvia Cruz as 2019 champions against Hunger Couple in this year’s Harvest Moon annual benefit at Pipers Banquets in Aurora October 5.
• The 11th annual walk in Montgomery’s Riverside Cemetery will be 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.