Grade 6 student Vega Hartman’s speech on climate change captured first place in a provincewide competition.

Hartman, from Newmarket’s Maple Leaf Public School, recently won the junior division English contest with her speech, I Am Just a Kid, during the Lions Clubs International Multiple District A Effective Speaking Contest, on May 25.

“I am very proud,” said Jamie Hartman, her mother. "It’s her third time making it to the finals.”

In 2017, Vega Hartman, 10 years old at the time, became the “youngest” ever to qualify in the finals and earned second place with her speech on Serendipity. In 2018, she, too, qualified with her speech on the History of Chocolate.

In her speech about climate change, Hartman delved deeper into her future as an adult and as a mother.

“What will my life be like?” she pondered. “When I am 40 years old, there will be nine billion people but not enough food. With heat waves and floods, food will be much harder to grow. Will my kids get to taste strawberries? No, they will be gone! Peanut butter? Gone! Potatoes? Gone! Rice, seafood chocolate? Will all be gone!”

She reiterates, “I`m just a kid — what do I know?” and “I`m just a kid — I can`t change the world ... right?” but surprises the reader/listener with tasks we need to do to save the planet.

“I`m just a kid, but I know that unless you have enough money to live on Mars, this is the only planet you will ever have,” she said. “So we need to: 1. Stop buying so much stuff. Mainly plastic! 2. Stop eating beef. Cows pollute more than cars, trains and planes combined. 3. We need to walk more and drive less.”

In an interview, Hartman said she hopes her speech makes an impact.

“I hope that a lot of people make a difference and try to do something about climate change.”