GAWLER councillor Ian Tooley and four Gawler Youth Advisory Committee members attended the three-day International Climate Reality Training Conference in Brisbane earlier this month, led by former United States vice president Al Gore.
Hosted in partnership with the Queensland Government, the event shared ideas and informed the community about solutions to address climate change.
“I loved the training, it was one of the best of the four (conferences) I have been to,” Cr Tooley said.
“We met climate warriors from around the world, making new connections, learning from local and international experts, and being empowered to take on the world for urgent action on climate change.
“Some 1800 people applied for the three-day training from across the world and only 800 were selected, representing 36 countries.
“I was a mentor and team leader at this conference and also a presenter at some of the breakout sessions.
“The conference focused heavily on impacts we are seeing here in Australia and on a worldwide scale.”
Several months ago, Cr Tooley gave a presentation to the Gawler YAC about the training conference and encouraged
members to apply.
“The amazing news was that several did apply, and four of them made the cut and were selected as part of the 800 (successful applicants),” he said.
Gawler YAC member Isaac Solomon said the conference was both inspiring and informative.
“One of the main messages was that action needs to be taken now,” he said.
“It was quite good to have Ian as a mentor for the reason that his record on standing up for climate change action has been great.
“There is hope for the future, but that relies on everybody getting on board."