Article by Izzy Almasi
“I think that kids can make even more of a difference than adults,” says 12-year-old youth environmental activist (and Marvel Hero) Robbie Bond in a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “As a kid, it may seem like you don’t have a lot of say in things. Like you can’t vote and you can’t drive and things like that, but you can still make a difference.”
Bond has always had a love for the national parks in his native USA. He began to share his passion with others at the age of eight when he spoke at the Utah “Rally Against Trump’s Monumental Mistake” in 2017, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to downsize national monuments. He has since travelled around America speaking at schools to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining natural areas and to encourage kids everywhere to take action to protect the environment.
“Kids are going to be around to experience the consequences [of current actions], so we can be more driven to help change the world,” says Bond. “And I explain what small actions that kids can do, like picking up litter and just how kids can help protect our parks.”
Bond is featured as one of the amazing youth heroes on Disney +’s new show Marvel’s Hero Project. Earlier this summer he received the prestigious Diana Award (named in honour of Princess Diana) presented to young people from around the world between the ages of nine and twenty-five for their humanitarian efforts to create positive social change.
Bond hopes his message will inspire other young people to stand up for causes they believe in and motivate them to get outdoors and experience what they are fighting for. “You shouldn’t be afraid to try something small. Just like a small act, like getting plastic straws banned from your school or picking up trash once a week, or something like that. Because then you can build upon that,” says Bond. “I started by just visiting national parks and then I realized how important these places are. And I slowly gained more confidence and was able to speak regularly and have fun doing it.”
To listen to the full interview with Robbie Bond visit www.skaana.org, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Be sure to tune in to Skaana for upcoming episodes with guests like author and environmentalist Isabelle Groc and author Peter Wohlleben. See the episode’s shownotes to read more about Robbie’s work, support his work at Kids Speak For Parks, follow him on Instagram @kidsspeakforparks and check out these articles on Teen Vogue, The Sierra Club, and Inspiring Young Heroes.
