7th Graders Lobby for Climate Change, Students Attend Climate Strike

During our 7th grade's trip to Washington, DC, the students worked with The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) to learn how best to share their ideas and lobby their local representative (Riggleman, VA-5) to join the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group that is committed to working together to advance climate change solutions. Students had come prepared with many facts and details about energy tax credits and sea level rise that impressed the FCNL staffers as they guided their efforts. While the students were not able to meet with their congressman in person, they spent time at the capitol with his aides, presenting their asks and lobbying the staff. The students did an amazing job communicating their concerns. As a result, they were instrumental in convincing their representative to join the Climate Solutions Caucus. He wrote them a letter that said, "...I have enjoyed reading the letters you all wrote addressing your concerns regarding climate issues throughout the country. You may be happy to hear that per your request, I have become a member of the Congressional Climate Solutions Caucus. I look forward to addressing climate solutions in bipartisan way." He added that he hopes to visit the students at Tandem soon. In fact, Riggleman will be visiting Tandem to meet with our young lobbyists on Friday, November 22.

Our 7th graders made a huge impact and inspired the FCNL staffers who worked with them - check out what Alicia Cannon, one of the FCNL staff members, had to say about that experience, and the difference their young voices made in swaying their representative.

https://www.fcnl.org/updates/faith-restored-after-a-week-of-youth-climate-activism-2376

They were also included in FCNL's monthly newsletter - Inside the Greenhouse - a monthly publication about FCNL’s environmental work. Check out the mention here - our students are included under Constituent Spotlight at the bottom.

In other climate change news, our 6th graders and over 50 Upper Schoolers attended the Youth Climate Strike in downtown Charlottesville on September 20. The 6th graders spent time in the morning making signs, and were met with great cheers as they arrived just as the marchers were rounding the corner and passing them. It made us proud to have so many Tandem students and parents in the crowd (we even ran into past parents and past faculty), and even prouder of the SIX 6th graders who stood up and spoke in front of the crowd!