Voices is the Dorset Echo's weekly youth page - written for young people by young people.

A few weeks ago, 21 eager students participated in a ‘strike 4 climate’ protest. They gave up their education to show awareness for the worsening climate change happening in the world. The Dorset Echo came to interview these children and to put up an article about their hard work and determination.

The article was published, with much happiness from the supporting students and teachers, for the comments to be filled with disagreement and fury. Many students politely re-iterated their ideas, with teachers putting in input, but continued to get shut down. Many of the negative comments were solely focused on how the children use public transport and technology. Many assumed about how parents brought up their children to help destroy the climate, without any evidence. People also added comments about the ‘snowflakes’ that are around nowadays.

Two brave students, Lewis Burnell and Ethan Skillman bravely stuck up for the protest and their beliefs, with the help of Mr Bell, a keen geography teacher. Many of their comments got shot down by people not reading the facts, but using their beliefs.

To add to our brave climate protest, we are now planting 420 trees. This is going to help us learn while we plant, as well as saving our climate and going against all the negative comments we have received.

Through all the negativity, we have persevered through with positivity and managed to keep making a difference. No matter what, All Saints are extremely proud of the students and the effort they did to bring awareness to other people to get something done.

Erin Lucas