Midleton student Sarah Collins was recently accepted to attend the first ever UN Youth Climate Summit in New York City on Saturday, September 21.
The historic event will be a platform for young leaders who are driving climate action to showcase their solutions at the United Nations, and to meaningfully engage with decision-makers on the defining issue of our time. It will be the largest gathering of young climate leaders at the UN in history.
Over 7,000 young people between the ages of 18 to 29 applied to attend the Youth Climate Summit. Sarah Collins was one of 500 hundred young people from around the world selected to attend the Summit after demonstrating their commitment to addressing the climate crisis and displaying leadership in advancing solutions.
The Youth Climate Summit will feature a full-day of programming that brings together young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who are committed to combating climate change at the pace and scale needed to meet the challenge. It will be action oriented, intergenerational, and inclusive, with equal representation of young leaders from all walks of life.
“Youth are showing us the way on climate action,” said Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Action Summit, Luis Alfonso de Alba. “I am eager for young climate leaders from all over the world to take their rightful place on the global stage and participate in this historic moment.”
Sarah completed her Leaving Cert in Midleton College in June of 2019, and was an active member of the Green School committee.
She also participated in the Bank Of Ireland Junk Kouture competition in transition year. Sarah’s interest in climate change was nurtured during her 8 years at Gaelscoil Mhainistir Na Corann where she was also an active member of the Green Schools committee and during her time there the school acquired 2 green flags.
As part of her Leaving Certificate Politics and Society project Sarah co-organized a one day conference in Midleton College attended by theorist Kathleen Lynch and others and following on from this event Sarah was appointed to the Youth Advisory Panel of Plan International.
Sarah is honoured to have been chosen to attend this event in the United Nations headquarters and is particularly grateful to her Politics and Society teacher in Midleton College Ms Brigid O’Riordan, for fostering in her ,a desire to make change and use her voice. Sarah will commence a four year Bachelor of Government and Political Science degree in UCC in September 2019.
“I am absolutely delighted to be attending the United Nations headquarters for the conference! I can’t wait to meet like minded people from all over the world and I am hopeful that we can bring about some solutions to the problem of climate change” -Sarah Collins
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