Growing Up Elizabeth May: The Making of an Activist
The story of Elizabeth’s childhood reads like a how-to book on becoming an activist You might think she wasn’t like regular kids But she was just like other girls She was brave and determined determined and sometimes she was afraid and uncertain Elizabeth was like you and me She was observant she noticed things and she had a keen eye for things that didn’t seem right Elizabeth believed nothing was too big or too small to be changed She didn’t have magical powers She wasn’t even a mini superhero She just wanted to make the world a better place A photo of Elizabeth in 1971 from her 12th-grade yearbook When Elizabeth was a toddler she looked up into the sky and saw the white vapor trail behind a jet plane and said I hate airplanes When her mom asked why she answered Because they scratch the sky She was worried that the sky was getting hurt She understood from a young age that human beings made an impact on the earth 2 Sylvia Olsen with Cate May Burton ZAP Bang Pow
It’s a Fact Sometimes signs say it all These activists remain silent and use banners to send their message An activist is someone who wants to improve something in society and takes action Activists usually want to change government policy or the law Sometimes they protest and appeal individually but most of the time they organize into groups to become more effective The root word of activism is act Thus activism is doing something about something you care about
THAT I HAVE TO FEELING As she got older when she saw things people did that hurt the forests or the streams or the air or the water Elizabeth would get an I have to feeling You’ve probably had that feeling too It’s a feeling that nudges you from the inside It upsets your stomach and niggles at your brain and it won’t go away until you do something a richer inner life Elizabeth May Getting involved gives you When Elizabeth got it in her head that something in the environment environment needed to be protected or someone needed help there was no stopping her She was like a detective searching for the truth She researched the facts until she knew everything she could about the problem ACT NOW I am active in my school climate-action group because it feels like something is missing if I am not doing something I like how it feels to actually be doing something to help other people and help our planet Norah Sylvia Olsen with Cate May Burton
When you can vote and tell others to vote too It’s a Fact On average 55 percent of people in the United States who are eligible to vote actually turn out to vote for a presidential candidate In Canada the average turnout is a bit higher at 62 percent and in Mexico the average is 66 percent
