Last Sunday at 11:30 a group of highly motivated high schoolers were preparing for a Climate Cafe on the Great Marsh at the First Church of Ipswich. While nerves may have been high as people started to filter in, the moment the conversations started flowing all was forgotten. Climate Cafes are student run discussion with adults in the area about Climate Change. Each meeting has a different theme and this latest one focused on the health of the Ipswich, Parker, and Middleton rivers.
As the room began to quiet, student Bailey Fogel introduces the students in the room and explained what we were there to do. Participants were put into small groups with a few high school student leaders, and given a clipboard, papers, nametag, and pencil. After introductions were made, it was the student hosts job to lead the conversation but allow for open discussion. The participants were first asked to think of experiences they have had on the river. Stories went around the room of kayak trips, sunrise bird watching trips, and mornings by the dam. This was a good way for people to break the ice and pinpoint when they fell in love with the river.
Students Jeremy Powers, Grace Evans, and Jaedin Guldenstern then had the groups pause in their discussions so they could read creative stories about the river. These stories were a desperate call for help told from the point of view of the Ipswich, Parker, and Middleton rivers. This segwayed into the main part of the cafe where groups were tasked to formulate conversation starters with the aid of tips to help the environment. This was a free flowing conversation where everyone was committed to listening and learning from each other. The goal was for each participant to share a way they would engage someone in a conversation about how to help the Great Marsh. After everyone had shared and discussed their ideas, each group was charged to narrow down to one conversation starter to share with everyone.
These are the conversations that matter. When we engage our community everyone benefits. When students come together about something they are passionate about people listen. The frustration was clear about the