20/11/2015
*°°Update on Lichtieval Winter Edition°°*
Bericht van de International Young Naturefriends:
'Dear all,
Together with you, we are shocked about the events that happened last weekend in Paris. But also about the events that happened the day before in Beirut. Our support goes also to the young people in Romania, due to the current political situation. We are also deeply concerned with the heartbreaking news of ecological disasters affecting Indonesia & Brasil.
Our hearts and thoughts are with all those who are in need of peace, solidarity and understanding. Not just in Paris, but everywhere, at any time. What we see today, and what we have been seeing since the first day our movement was founded, is a world that needs understanding, that needs solidarity, peace and love and care for each other, no matter the beliefs, the colors, the visions, the culture or any other reason. We do not believe in a world that is being led by polluters, we do not believe in a world that is being led by the ones who are funding war, we do not believe in a world where war is being used as a way to make profit.
We believe in cooperation, solidarity, equality, unity, justice, human and ecological rights. We believe that every human and animal on this planet has the right to live their lives free of terror, free of hunger, free of domination by others. We believe that it is today, more than ever, that we have to stand up and defend our beliefs. If we sit back and allow ourselves to be led by mainstream media, by the rulers of today, by big companies who are the core cause of the climate change, we will never see a world that we want, and we will always be the ‘observers’ of a planet being led by a few.
The struggle on climate change is a struggle that affects us all. Every one of us. It is our task to let the polluters of today know that we do not agree with their economic agenda. To let them know that we do not agree with the usage of fossil fuels any longer. The French authorities agree that the official climate negotiations are still happening, however the last update is that all NGO events (especially the large climate march on 29 November and 12 December) are now forbidden, due to safety measurements. If the official COP21 can take place, we do not understand why it would therefore not be possible for the civil society events to take place as well. Of course they want to secure the safety of the people, but it looks like they don't understand that even though safety might be a problem today, it will be even more in the future, due to the effects of climate change.
Having all this in mind, we are still organizing our bus! But we are unsure if our bus will travel from Lichtervelde to Paris. (We are waiting for more updates for that). If we are not going to Paris, then we will join the Climate Express in Belgium and either have a demonstration in Brussels or Oostende.
Still, even if we are not going to Paris, we still see the whole organization of this weekend as the perfect opportunity to bring climate activists together and strengthen our relations to create more action in 2016. The international climate movement in EU has never been that strong, and there are already plans for next year. We know that we don't have to expect an ambitious climate agreement from the COP21. We know that the UNFCCC is subsidized by large companies that have all their interest to delay the negotiations for their own benefit & we realize more than ever that we have to target them as well.
On 28 November we have our Climate Action Day in Lichtervelde, this is what is on our program so far:
- The whole day will be DIY. We believe that you have a lot of passions and knowledge, do not fear to bring them with you and share them with others.
- We will explain to you what is IYNF about ( in case you have never come in contact with us)
- How you can get more involved on a European level, to advocate the importance on climate action in the Climate Change Network of the European Youth Forum (also called 'the young voice of Europe')
- Normally we will have a speaker that will come and explain all the 'coincidental procedures' during the Paris attacks and the days after. We do not believe that answering the Paris attack with Bombs in Syria will help us get rid of more terror attacks in the future. How terrorism and climate change are linked with each other will also be tackled, get ready for discussions.
- DIY Vegan cooking team.
- There will be material for banners, use your creativity!
- We will facilitate discussion to see what we as young people can do together to increase action for the climate in Europe.
- If you have never heard of our upcoming project ECOmaps, then here we will explain to you what it is about and how you can contribute
- 20-21 May we are going to the European Youth Event in Strasbourg. Save the dates, we will be there with a delegation of 30 young people and you can be one of them.
- Hugs, support, love, passion, unity, respect all day 24/7 for free
- Possible upcoming projects in Poland, Isreal, Romania, Belgium, Macedonia & Czech Republic will be highlighted as well. Bring your agenda!
- In the evening we will have a Party!
- Sleeping in tents in November? Yes we can!
Even though there might be a chance that we are not going to Paris on 29 November, we hope that you are still with us, and that you too understand the importance of increase in action for the climate in today’s world. We have the whole Saturday to prepare ourselves in Belgium, and we see that day as the perfect day to gather our strengths and underline our beliefs for now and for the future.
In times of fear being inflicted by our official governments, we have to be brave and answer with encouragement. The only war we believe in, is the people’s war against climate change! More than ever before, we need to tackle the climate change issue! The world as we know it is at stake. Come and join us!
The Presidium
International Young Naturefriends'
Supported by Lichtieval
