A STRIKING new mural in Letterkenny raising public awareness about the global climate crisis has been capturing much attention.
Located on the front of Letterkenny Youth and Community Club, formerly Devlin Hall, Lower Main Street, the mural is one of three young people from three Donegal towns have designed.
The three murals are the clarion call of the young people in Letterkenny, Bundoran and Buncrana to impress upon the public that there is a real crisis, a real threat and that serious, concerted efforts at all levels of society is required.
Devised and delivered by Children in Crossfire – a Derry-based charity whose Global Citizenship Education programme runs across Ireland – this project has created a platform – via public murals – for young people to have their say on the critical issue of their time.
Bayan Smith, Children in Crossfire’s Public Engagement Officer, said the murals highlight a powerful message. She said young people, more than any age group, are deeply concerned about the threat climate change poses.
“Each group designed their mural independently, so it is interesting to see that they all followed a similar pattern and presented two versions of the world: a happy, beautiful prosperous one and a dark, exploitative one. This is a powerful message that we, as a society, can choose the world we want by making decisions that lead to our chosen goal. The fear for many of our young is that society consistently makes bad choices or, at best, good ones but too slowly.
“Without real effort towards climate justice, both here and abroad, it will be the poorest and most vulnerable who will be most deeply affected. Young people understand this best, and we would do well to pay closer attention to their insights and match their ambitions.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside local Donegal businesses and organisations to deliver this project. We have been overwhelmed by the energy and maturity of the young people in each town whose vision for a better world is clear for all to see.”
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