After two weeks of intense preparation, the big day arrives. Six students will represent the Green Brigade at the town hall: Naya, Tom, Emma, Malik, Léa and Théo.

Everyone prepared a part of the presentation. Emma made a folder with before-and-after photos of the cleanup. Malik calculated the statistics: 47 kilos of waste collected in two weeks! Théo wrote a list of concrete solutions.

On Wednesday at 2 p.m., they entered the mayor's large office. Mr. Dubois greeted them with a smile.

"Hello! I'm curious to hear about your project."

Naya takes a deep breath and begins.

"Mr. Mayor, I discovered a beautiful clearing in the forest, but it was covered in trash. Tom and I cleaned it up, but the trash came back."

Tom continues:

"We conducted an investigation. Many people are looking for trash cans, but there aren't any. So they leave their trash on the ground."

Malik presents the impressive figures. Emma shows the photos. The mayor listens attentively, becoming increasingly serious.

"It's excellent work," he said. "But there's a problem. Installing trash cans is expensive. And the city's budget is tight."

Naya's heart sank. After so much effort...

But Tom reacts quickly:

"What if we found cheaper solutions? We made bins out of reclaimed wood. They cost nothing!"

"And we can create a team of volunteers to empty them!" adds Malik.

“We can check the garbage every week,” suggests Emma.

"And we'll make the signs ourselves!" said Léa, showing off their colorful creations.

The mayor gets up and walks towards the window. The children hold their breath.

Finally, he turns around with a big smile.

"You've thought of everything. You're not just asking for help, you're offering to participate. I really like that. Okay, I'll set up five sorting points in the forest!"

The children burst with joy. Léa and Emma hug each other. Tom and Malik high-five. Naya feels tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks.

"The town hall will provide the bins," the mayor continued. "And you will mobilize the volunteers. We will also print your signs professionally."

"Thank you!" the children repeat.

The mayor places a hand on Naya's shoulder.

"You are an example for our city. You have understood that complaining is not enough. Action is necessary."

Before leaving, the mayor took a picture with them for the city newspaper.

In the minibus taking them back to school, no one speaks for the first few minutes. They are too emotional, too happy.

Then Léa said:

"We did it. We really did it."

“Yes,” replied Mrs. Leroux proudly. “And I am so proud of you.”

When they arrive at school, the whole class is waiting for them in the courtyard.

"So?" the students shout.

Tom raises his arms in the air:

"We won! The mayor said yes!"

The court erupts in cheers.

That evening, Naya returned home feeling like she was floating. Her parents listened to her recount her day, their eyes shining with pride.

"My big girl who saves the forest!" said her father, hugging her tightly.

That night, Naya dreamed of the clearing covered in purple flowers, clean and vibrant, withall her friends were around her.

Together, they moved a mountain.

Together, they proved that even children can change the world.

The next two weeks fly by. The entire class works tirelessly on the Green Brigade project.

The Communications team wrote a wonderful letter for the mayor. Théo read it aloud in front of the whole class:

"Mr. Mayor, we are the students in Mrs. Leroux's CM2 class. We have discovered that our beautiful forest is polluted by waste. We would like to meet with you to present our project and our solutions."

"That's perfect!" said Madame Leroux. "Short, polite, and clear."

They sent the letter, and three days later, a reply arrived! The mayor agreed to meet with them the following Tuesday at 2 p.m.

The whole class erupted with joy upon hearing the news.

Now we need to prepare the presentation. And that's serious business.

"We can't all go," explains Ms. Leroux. "The mayor's office isn't big enough to accommodate twenty-eight students."

After a vote, the class decided that Naya, Tom, Emma, Malik, Léa and Théo would represent the Green Brigade. Each would present a different part of the project.

In the days leading up to the meeting, they meticulously prepare everything.

Emma created a folder with photos: the clearing before the cleanup, covered in rubbish; the clearing after, clean and beautiful with purple flowers; then alas, the clearing dirty again a few days later.

"These photos show that we need a permanent solution," she explains. "Not just a one-off cleaning."

Malik prepared the statistics. With the help of the whole class, the Green Brigade collected and weighed all the waste found in the forest over two weeks.

"We collected 47 kilos of waste in two weeks," he proudly announced. "47 kilos! That's like carrying 47 packages of pasta on your back, impossible!"

"And I counted the types of waste," adds Sarah, who helped him. "156 plastic bottles, 89 cans, 234 food wrappers, and lots of other things."

Léa prepared the creative panels that the Creation team made. They are beautiful, colorful, with animal drawings and positive messages.

Tom took photos of the temporary bins they built from decorated old wooden crates. They're installed in three locations in the forest, and people are starting to use them!

"It proves that people WANT to do the right thing," Tom said with conviction. "They just need bins!"

Théo, for his part, prepared a list of concrete solutions to propose to the mayor. He wrote it on a nice sheet of paper with his best pen:

**Solutions proposed by the Green Brigade:**
1. Install 5 sorting points in the forest (in the most frequented areas)
2. Create educational signs (we can make them!)
3. Organize community clean-up days (4 times a year)
4. Establish a system of volunteer "forest guardians"
5. Use bins made from recycled materials (cheaper and more environmentally friendly)

"That's very professional," said Ms. Leroux, impressed. "You're proposing solutions, not just problems. The mayor will appreciate that."

Finally, Naya wrote a short introductory speech. She rehearsed it so many times that she knows it by heart.

Tuesday arrives. Naya wakes up with butterflies in her stomach.

At school, the six students who are going to the town hall are all wearing their best clothes.

HASAt 1:30 p.m., they boarded the school minibus with Mrs. Leroux. The journey to the town hall only took ten minutes, but it seemed endless.

"Are you ready?" asks Mrs. Leroux.

"Ready!" they all reply together, even though Naya feels her hands trembling a little.

The town hall is a large, old building with white columns. They enter the hall, their footsteps echoing on the marble floor.

A smiling secretary greets them.

"Ah, you must be the famous Green Brigade! The mayor is waiting for you. Follow me."

She leads them down a long corridor decorated with paintings, then opens a large wooden door.

"Mr. Mayor, your young visitors have arrived."

The mayor's office is huge. There is a large, shiny wooden table, shelves filled with books, and wide windows overlooking the town square.

The mayor, Mr. Dubois, is a man in his fifties with glasses and a grey suit. He stands up to greet them with a smile.

"Hello! Hello! Come in, come in!"

He shakes hands with each child, then with Mrs. Leroux.

"I am very curious to hear what you have to say. Your letter intrigued me greatly. Please, sit down."

The children settle into the chairs arranged in front of the desk. Naya feels her heart pounding.

The mayor also sits down and folds his hands on his desk.

"So, tell me about your project."

Naya takes a deep breath. It's her turn to start. She stands up, just like they rehearsed.

"Mr. Mayor, my name is Naya. A month ago, I discovered a beautiful clearing in the forest near our school. There was an extraordinary purple flower, perhaps rare. But the clearing was covered in trash."

She shows the first photo. The mayor leans forward to get a better look, and his smile disappears.

"Oh... I see. That's very sad."

“My friend Tom and I decided to clean up the clearing,” Naya continued. “But the trash came back. So we conducted an investigation to understand why.”

Tom gets up in turn and takes over.

"We observed the people who came into the forest. And we discovered that many wanted to dispose of their waste properly, but there are no bins. So they leave it there, thinking that someone will come and collect it."

"Interesting," said the mayor, nodding his head. "Go on."

Malik then presents the figures: the 47 kilos of waste, the 156 bottles, the statistics of their investigation.

"In two weeks, we observed 67 people in different areas of the forest," he explains. "28 left litter. And among those 28 people, 19 were looking for a trash can but couldn't find one."

The mayor frowned, visibly concerned.

"47 kilos in two weeks... That's enormous."

Emma then shows all the photos: the before and after, the waste sorted by category, the animals that live in the forest.

"This forest is our treasure," she said emotionally. "It's where we go to breathe, to play, to observe nature. But if we do nothing, it will become a dumping ground."

Léa presents the signs they created and the temporary bins they installed.

"We put our wooden bins out a week ago, and people are using them! Look!"

She showsphotos of the bins already quite full.

"It proves that people are willing to make an effort," Tom adds. "They want to do well. We just have to give them the means."

Finally, Théo gets up and presents the list of solutions.

"Mr. Mayor, we're not here just to complain. We're here with solutions."

He reads the list slowly and clearly. The mayor listens attentively, taking notes in a notebook.

When Théo finished, there was a moment of silence. The mayor reread his notes, then looked at the six children and their teacher.

"I must say... I am very impressed by your work. Truly. You identified a problem, conducted a scientific investigation, collected data, and proposed concrete solutions. It's remarkable."

The children exchange hopeful glances.

"But..." the mayor continued, and Naya's heart sank. "There's a problem."

"Which one?" Naya asks, worried.

"The budget. Installing trash cans in a forest isn't free. You have to buy the trash cans, install them, but above all, you have to pay people to come and empty them regularly. And right now, the city's budget is very tight."

Naya felt tears welling up. After all that work... after all that hope...

But Tom doesn't let himself be discouraged.

"What if we found solutions to make it cost less?" he quickly asks.

The mayor raises an eyebrow, interested.

" I'm listening to you. "

"Look," said Tom, showing the photos of their wooden bins. "We made these bins from old crates we salvaged. They didn't cost a thing! If the city gives us the recycled materials, we can make the bins ourselves!"

"And to clear them out," adds Malik, "we could create a team of volunteers! Parents, grandparents, young people... Lots of people in our neighborhood love the forest. They would surely be willing to help!"

“We, the Green Brigade, can take care of checking the bins every week,” Emma suggests. “And let people know when they’re full. That way, the volunteers know when to come.”

"And as for the educational signs, as you've seen, we can make them ourselves!" said Léa. "It will cost almost nothing!"

The mayor listens, and little by little, his face lights up.

"You know what? You've thought of everything. Really."

He gets up and walks to the window, thinking.

The children hold their breath.

Finally, the mayor turned back to them with a big smile.

"Okay. I'm convinced."

"Really?" exclaimed Naya.

"Really. Your project is intelligent, well thought out, and above all, you're proposing to participate actively. It's not just a request, it's a partnership. And I really like that."

The children burst with joy. Léa and Emma hug each other. Malik and Tom high-five. Naya feels tears streaming down her cheeks, but this time, they are tears of happiness.

"I'm going to have five recycling points installed in the forest," the mayor announced. "In the places you indicate, since you know the forest better than anyone."

"Thank you! Thank you!" the children repeat.

"The town hall will provide the bins and the stands. And you will mobilize the volunteers and ensure follow-up. We will also have your signs professionally printed. They will be more resistant to therain. "

"It's... it's incredible," Naya murmured, still in shock.

The mayor approaches her and gently places a hand on her shoulder.

“No, Naya. What’s incredible is you. You’re young, but you’ve understood something that many adults forget: to change things, it’s not enough to complain. You have to act, propose, commit.”

He looks at the whole little group.

"You are an example for our city. I will speak about your project at the city council meeting. And I am counting on you to continue this great work."

"We'll do it!" Tom promises with determination.

"We will not disappoint you," Malik added.

Before leaving, the mayor asked to take a photo with the Green Brigade.

"For the article in the city newspaper," he explains with a wink.

They all pose together in front of the large desk, holding their signs and files.

In the minibus taking them back to school, no one speaks for the first few minutes. They are all too emotional, too happy, and too exhausted.

Then Léa breaks the silence:

"We did it. We really did it."

"Yes," said Mrs. Leroux proudly. "You succeeded. And I am so proud of you."

"Thank you for supporting us, Madam," said Naya. "Without you, we would never have made it."

"Oh, I only accompanied you. You were the ones who had the courage to start, the intelligence to understand the problem, and the determination to see it through."

When they arrive at school, the whole class is waiting for them in the courtyard. As soon as they get off the minibus, questions start flying:

" SO ? "
"What did he say?"
"Did we win?"

Tom raises his arms in the air and shouts:

"We won! The mayor said yes!"

The courtyard erupts in cheers. The students jump, shout, and hug each other. Even the headmaster, Mr. Martin, applauds from his office.

That evening, Naya returned home feeling like she was floating. She told her parents everything, and they listened with eyes shining with pride.

"My big girl who goes to see the mayor and saves the forest!" said her father, hugging her tightly.

"I'm not saving the whole forest, Dad," Naya protested, laughing. "We're just doing our part."

"Your share is already immense, my darling," said her mother, kissing her.

That night, Naya had a wonderful dream. She saw herself in the clearing, surrounded by hundreds of purple and gold flowers. The forest was clean, vibrant, full of singing birds and playing squirrels. And in the middle of it all were her friends: Tom, Emma, Malik, Léa, Théo, and all the others from the Green Brigade.

Together, they moved a mountain.

Together, they proved that even children can change the world.

And this is just the beginning.