Amy Prendergast, climate superpowers facilitator

When IEU member Amy Prendergast worked at the Academy of Mary Immaculate school in Fitzroy, she helped set in motion the juggernaut that is now Climate Superpowers. Amy is keen to praise others involved, but she was one of the main connectors between a ‘keen, driven’ student and the innovative academics who devised the acclaimed educational resource.

Amy Prendergast

Eight years ago, Amy was trying to secure her bike at school when a student with the same issue approached her about the lack of bike parking spaces. With Amy’s support, that junior powerhouse then ran a bicycle parking campaign and it evolved into a student sustainability group with official policies, a green purchasing framework for the school and a mission statement.

‘They ran with it, I just supported it,’ Amy told The Point. ‘It started internal, then they started to look beyond the school… they wanted to be impactful beyond just the local…’

Amy learned through a mutual friend from Yarra Council that University of Melbourne researchers were looking for young people to get involved in the nascent Climate Superpowers program.

Amy hooked up ‘enthusiastic, impressive, grass roots’ academic Phoebe Quinn with the Academy of Mary Immaculate tyros over a Zoom call during lockdown and they went on to play a key role in the development of Climate Superpowers.

Amy is a big fan of the result.

‘I love it. It’s very meaningful for young people because it lets them come in on their own level. They can find a way in that suits their personality type. There’s a way for each type of person to engage with the program. It hits a nerve because teenagers are struggling to find their identity, and this helps them navigate that.’

Amy has moved schools, but the sustainability group lives on with new students and Climate Superpowers is expanding by the minute. It’s a legacy to be proud of.