‘It gives us power to put our opinion across’

Despite official attempts to stop them, Koko, Hermione and Hazel won’t be kept away from the School Strike 4 Climate Action rally.

Newtown Performing Arts student Hazel Tych, 13, Koko Basic, 13, and Hermione Mackay, 12. Picture: Hollie Adams

Koko Bacic, Hermione Mackay and Hazel Tych are only in Year 8 and all have school tomorrow, but the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts students aren’t letting their age stop them from rallying with tens of thousands of other kids to fight climate change.

As many as 50,000 students are expected to join the School Strike 4 Climate Action rallies taking place around the country today, despite attempts by education ­departments and schools to keep them in the classroom.

“We’re going to the strike ­because it gives us power to put our opinion across … climate change is horrible for the environment, it kills loads of animals and kills habitats,” said Koko, 13.

According to the girls, their school in Sydney’s inner west listed­ the time and place of the rally in school ­notices.

Each girl’s parent will sign an absence note so they can leave school for the midday rally.

“A lot of teachers and polit­icians claim to say you have to stay in school to get a future, and stay in school to get a good job, but we won’t have that future … if climate change keeps on getting worse and worse,” Hermione, 12, told The Australian.

The three girls said there were students in their year who had helped ­mobilise kids to get them to attend the rallies.

Pet peeves of the girls include plastic water bottles and smoking. “It’s not just the litter of the cigar­ette butts — it’s really bad for pollutio­n and bad for the environment,” Koko said.

“I hate it when people are ­always buying disposable water bottles — just refill it,” added Hermione.

Hazel’s mother, Denise Tych, said Hazel and her brother Rudi were passionate climate activists.

“It’s because we love nature — we really love it and I think a lot of people don’t. They can’t fathom how important it is … and no one is listening, the politicians are not listening, but action is working,” Ms Tych said.

Education departments in NSW and Victoria have reminded state schools that they are bound by policy obligations around the promotion of political activities and events that take students away from class.

A spokeswoman for the School Strike 4 Climate Action said the turnout today was expected to dwarf last year’s 15,000 students.