Cross Party Group on Climate, Nature and Wellbeing

Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Hinsawdd, Natur a Lles

 

 

17:00 – 18:00

04.05.2023

 

Virtual Meeting over Zoom

Cyfarfod ar-lein dros Zoom

 

1.    Croeso a chyflwyniad

Welcome and introduction

Delyth Jewell AS/MS 

 

2.    Cofnodion y cyfarfod diwethaf

Minutes of the last meeting 

Delyth Jewell AS/MS

3.    Rhiannon Hawkins, cynrychiolydd person ifanc yng Ngholeg Brenhinol y Seiciatryddion ac ymddiriedolwr yn y Green Economics Institute

Rhiannon Hawkins, young person representative for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and trustee at the Green Economics Institute

 

4.    Trafod a chyflwyno gwaith diweddar

Group discussion and presentation of recent work

5.    Llysgenhadon Hinsawdd Ieuenctid Cymru 

Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales 

6.    Any other business and date of next meeting 

Delyth Jewell AS/MS

Busnes arall

 

Apologies: Rhys ab Owen MS, Rob Palmizi, Judith Musker Turner

Attendees: Ioan Bellin (IB), Lewis Brace (LB), Delun Gibby (DG), Antonia Fabian (AF), Anouchka Grose (AG), Rhiannon Hawkins (RH), Molly Hucker (MH), Ollie John (OJ), Kate Lowther (KL), Madelaine Phillips-Welsh (MPW), Kathryn Speedy (KS), Poppy Stowell-Evans (PSE), Beth Taylor (BT), Oscar Williams (OW)

MSs in Attendance:Delyth Jewell MS (DJ)

Croeso a chyflwyniad / Welcome and introduction - Delyth Jewell AS/MS 

DJ welcomed the groups and discussed housekeeping.

 

Cofnodion y cyfarfod diwethaf / Minutes of the last meeting - Delyth Jewell AS/MS

 

The minutes of the last meeting were approved with no amendments

 

Rhiannon Hawkins, cynrychiolydd person ifanc yng Ngholeg Brenhinol y Seiciatryddion ac ymddiriedolwr yn y Green Economics Institute / Rhiannon Hawkins, young person representative for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and trustee at the Green Economics Institute

 

DJ gave an overview of the purpose of the CPG and introduced Rhiannon Hawkins, Young Person Representative for the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPSych) and trustee at the Green Economics Institute.

 

RH gave a presentation on climate change and intergenerational justice:

-          Young people can’t fight climate change alone, people of all ages and demographics need to be involved

-          RH has been working with Eco CAHMS Working Group, working with psychiatrists to support young people and psychiatrists with eco distress

-          Also working on a project with Tide Global Learning to deliver a conference at Cardiff University on the 29th June with the aim of fostering a dialogue between teachers and students to make the Welsh curriculum more adapted to how young people are feeling about climate change and empower teachers to broach climate related issues

-          The experience of climate change varies between age groups, classes, races and cultures so it is important to include all of these in the dialogue in order to develop solutions, COP and the UN needs to be more representative of these groups

-          It is also important for young people to start dialogues with people of higher levels of authority so that their perspectives can be shared and heard

-          It’s important to frame intergenerational in such a way that people can empathise and understand

-          Involving young people in Senedd discussions would be fantastic

-          Using indigenous knowledge, such as speaking to farmers, can also be a great way of finding out what is going on in the local community

-          Engagement with climate change issues also needs to be made accessible for all, protests for example are often not accessible to people with certain disabilities

 

JD welcomed questions and comments from the group and highlighted that this group are trying to amplify the voices of young people in a cross party setting and make connections between groups.

 

OJ reflected upon RH’s point about how information around climate change can often be written in a very academic way and said that the RCPsych have been looking at their resources for young people to make them as accessible as possible. OJ commented that the upcoming event would be a good opportunity to guide schools in having these conversations.

 

RH mentioned that the aim of the conference is to develop a charter on the basis of what young people and teachers want out of climate education.

 

AR asked RH what the most useful ideas which came out of the group visits with young people were.

 

RH replied that the young people often internalised their feelings and didn’t know how to convey them. It helped to think about the environment in terms of their immediate environment to make these issues relatable. RH gave the example of tree planting with scout groups.

 

Llysgenhadon Hinsawdd Ieuenctid Cymru / Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales - Poppy Stowell – Evans & Oscar Williams

 

PSE updated the group on the recent activity of the Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales:

-          A social media campaign has been launched in relation to climate refugees, this will be running over the next few months, particularly looking at climate displacement and the role which the UK can play in protecting these people

-          The petition will be launched on the 20th June and hoping to have a launch event

 

OW said that RH’s talk touched on some of the work which the YCAs are doing to amplify the voices of indigenous people and those directly affected by climate change. OW is also reaching out to Pakistani refugees in Cardiff who can speak about the experience of having to flee their homes due to flooding.

 

PSE mentioned that in order for the petition to be debated in Parliament it needs 100,000 signatures. YCA are hopeful of achieving this withing 6 months and that this will open the conversation around climate refugees.

 

OW added that if they achieve their target, the petitions will be documented in Parliament.

 

DJ welcomed suggestions for presentations or conversation topics for upcoming meetings.

 

DG introduced themselves as the head of the new Pentre Ifan centre, from the Urdd and has asked for the group’s feedback on their new sustainability based residential courses. Please email delungibby@urdd.org if you have any comments on this.

 

OJ raised the potential to invite the Education Minister to an upcoming meeting to look at how climate change is spoken about in schools

 

The date of the next meeting will be set for the end of June.

 

DJ closed the meeting and thanked the attendees and RCPsych Wales.