Tough Girl Podcast Jessie Stevens - Youth Climate Activist, Cycled 570 miles from Devon to Glasgow for COP26 #ride2COP26
Dec 1, 2021
38:16
We first spoke with Jessie on October 19th 2021 where she shared more about her cycle challenge of riding 570 miles to Glasgow for COP26. During this episode we catch up with Jessie to find out about her journey, the challenges faced and overcome, what it was like arriving in Glasgow and her thoughts on COP26 as well as her plans for the future. Jessie in her own words: I am a youth activist who cares deeply about the power of people to create change and this is exactly what I want People Pedal Power to do. The idea to start the movement came from my fears that more inaction would come from COP26. I knew that we didn’t have time for this to occur, as this summit has to be the one where real change is created, if not by our leaders but by the power of individuals creating collective action. As can be seen from the youth climate movement across the world, individuals really do have the power to create change, and so I decided to harness this! I also believe in the immense power that words and storytelling have in helping us as individual to learn, understand and ultimately engage in the climate crisis. I have been trying to do this for the past 2 years with my monthly newspaper columns and other writing projects which discuss the climate crisis from the youth perspective. Listen to Jessie now on the Tough Girl Podcast. New episodes go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and support. Thank you. Show notes
- Who is Jessie
- The day before the start of the challenge
- Getting going and feeling relief
- Partnering with the Adventure Syndicate
- Film maker - Catherine Dunn
- Starting with 50/60 people
- Meeting people along the way
- Magical moments from the experience
- Why everyday was special
- One of the hardest days on the bike
- Tips and tricks for dealing with the tough times
- Using music to change her state of mind
- Coping with riding 100km per day
- Why it was harder mentally
- Arriving in Glasgow for COP26
- Feeling unsettled in Glasgow
- Partnering with Eco-Schools
- Trying to get the youth voice in the media
- The challenges at the event
- Thoughts on COP26
- Did attending the event help to make a difference
- What it was like inside the conference
- What it was like outside the conference
- People power and feeling empowered
- What’s next for Jessie?
- COP27?
- Cycling during the winter months
- Final words of advice