Your Voice Matters (YVM7)

This week, we have a story about 14 year-old Helen Winston, from Nebraska, who recently stood before a U.S. Congressional hearing and spoke about something that’s been in the news for over three years: the Keystone XL Pipeline.

For those who may be unaware, this proposed pipeline was to carry oil from Canada to Texas, much like the Alaska pipeline does from there to the lower 48 states. The Keystone XL pipeline has been a hot topic for many reasons, including the environmental impact, jobs it would create, and the history of the companies involved in its construction and maintenance.

Helen wrote and delivered this speech herself “as a representative of the hundreds of outraged young people who could not make it here.”

 

Last Wednesday, President Obama rejected a “rapid approval” of the proposed pipeline based on recommendations from the State Department. While this issue is far from over, as alternative routes and methods are discussed, Helen’s courage to speak out on behalf of young people in her state who would be directly affected by the project is admirable. It’s more proof that your voice matters. No one will know or defend your opinion if they don’t know you have one. Speak calmly, speak with purpose, but most of all, speak out.

In the coming weeks, we will have some exciting news about a contest in conjunction with this blog and the impending release of Mother’s Heart, the third book in the Mother-Earth Series. Stay tuned for more on how your voice could lead you to some great prizes!