More than six years after Pope Francis penned his ecological encyclical, Laudato si'... and after major climate events such as the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, the fight against climate change marches on.
Young people have been particularly active in the battle, and a new documentary is telling their stories.
“The Future Lies with Youth,” produced by the International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity, known as CIDSE, shares how young people are responding to the Pope's call to care for our common home.
VALENTINA PAVAROTTI
'So Laudato si' calls us to protect our common home, and in this documentary, in “the Future Lies with Youth,” we show how people, at their own level, can commit, and do their small steps to care overall for their common home. We hope that the people who watch this documentary realize that there are many ways of being an activist, and each of us can play our part in our own way. You can do something big or you can do something small, you can even just start by looking inside yourself.'
-'I would definitely say that I am an activist. It is my basic attitude towards life. I'm interested in politics and how we live together. I want to help shape human coexistence.'
The documentary showcases young activists from Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
Among them are Maria and Beatriz, volunteers at an ecological retreat center in Portugal who discuss how the idea of ecological conversion has touched their lives.
-'This motto of “ecological conversion” which Pope Francis gives us in Laudato Si', basically reflects our current situation and calls us to take action, without a doubt.'
BEATRIZ LISBOA
'This [documentary] makes our kind of activism known, above all this idea of introspection which comes from the desire to know more, and to understand issues in depth. And this project was intended to make our realities known to others and so it made sense to us.'
Together they hope to convey that activism takes many forms, and that change can begin even by looking inside oneself.
MARIA RESSANO
'If we experience an interior and personal conversion, then we will need to change our actions, and also end up calling for a conversion of policies and institutions.'
“The Future Lies with Youth” shows that everyone has a place in the fight against climate change, and that first step towards activism is a change of heart. It's now available to audiences everywhere for free on YouTube.
JM
