Run4Trees – A wonderful and healthy activity in favor of Climate Justice

9th grade student Kate is on a mission: to harness the power of her school community and motivate young people to get active against the climate crisis. Her idea: a charity run at her school, the International School Basel. With her Run4Trees she was more than successful – she and her schoolmates collected incredible 12000 CHF which corresponds to over 8000 trees!

Kate shared two videos with us, one describing her motivation and explaining how a Run4Trees works, the second video giving us a glimpse of a wonderful Run4Trees event.

Also, below you find an interview with Kate conducted by her school:

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH RUN4TREES – WHAT SPARKED THE INITIATIVE?

Well, I believe that deforestation is one of the most serious issues facing our planet’s future. I knew that I wanted to do something to educate our school community and raise money to combat the problem, but I wasn’t sure how.

ACROSS THE WORLD YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE, DO YOU THINK WE ARE MAKING ANY PROGRESS?

Although we are far from done with climate change, people, especially young ones, have already made a huge difference in shaping our world. If it weren’t for us children, these issues wouldn’t be as prominent in the minds of leaders and governments. I believe that if we continue trying to make a difference, in big and small ways, there is hope for our planet.

IS THIS THE FIRST EVENT YOU´VE SPEARHEADED? HOW DID YOU FIND IT?

Run4Trees is the first project that I have led and it has definitely been a learning experience. I never knew just how much time and effort it takes to organize events. Yet, it has also been incredibly rewarding. Knowing that the work I am putting in will lead to trees being planted is amazing, and always keeps me motivated. 

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

Like any event, things didn’t always go exactly as planned, but I learnt that it is okay to make adjustments and compromise, and it would still be just as successful, even if it wasn’t exactly as I had pictured. Also, I had to work with various members of staff, which meant adapting to their schedules and needs. However, one of the biggest challenges was presenting, albeit virtually, to the school community. Being on a video for the entire school to see is quite scary, but I just had to remember why I was doing this and that I was proud of the event I had created.  

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS WANTING TO ORGANISE THESE TYPES OF EVENTS?

I would definitely advise students to do most of the work a while before it needs to be done. This saves you time when you are doing practical planning and also helps you spread out the workload so you’re not too stressed. Also, remember that you are not alone. There will always be people around that can help and support you. Finally, stay flexible. Things are always changing and you will always have to make adjustments, so don’t worry if it doesn’t go exactly as planned. 

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Without a doubt an interesting interview and another motivation to act! Thank you Kate for your passionate organization of your Run4Trees.

We invite you to watch Kate’s great videos, they will surely captivate you as it captivated us and gives helpful advises for your own organization of a Run4Trees!