by George Edwards, Programmes and Communications Officer, SEEd
World Environment Day is a global moment to explore and reflect on our relationship with the planet we all call home. At SEEd, we believe this reflection is most powerful when awareness turns into action.
This year, we are celebrating the incredible work of our Young Changemakers (YCM); students from across the UK who aren’t just learning about sustainability and the environment, but are learning for it – actively reshaping their schools and communities to create a better, more sustainable future for all. Let’s dive in.
Students explore their concerns around the climate, and ideas for an action learning project to tackle the issue. Credit: Bracknell Forest Council
Gardens, Runways and Stewardship
Across the UK, YCM students are tackling complex sustainability challenges with creativity and systems thinking.
At Sir William Perkins’ School, students are growing an eco-garden to provide sustainable food for their canteen, directly reducing emissions from food transport and waste. Meanwhile, at Archway School, the focus is on biodiversity literacy. Building on previous years of YCM work, these changemakers are creating a culture of stewardship for the natural world on their own school grounds.
The Stroud High School team seems to be bringing a sustainable version of the Met Gala to their doorstep with a Recycled Fashion Runway. By promoting upcycling and second-hand purchases, they are challenging the high-emission norms of the fashion industry.
Developing Green Skills
What makes these projects special isn’t just the physical outcome, but the change in the learner and their mindset. One YCM facilitator noted that the programme moves students “beyond surface-level thinking” to approach problems with “critical, systems-based reasoning.”
Even when actions don’t go exactly to plan, there is a silver lining:
“Students that have taken actions that haven’t had the effect they hoped for seem to have a better understanding of complexity,” another educator shared with SEEd.
The students’ resilience and ability to see the interplay between different components of the systems they live and work in is exactly what we need to build a sustainable future.
Get Involved this World Environment Day
If you’re looking for ways to start your own journey to changemaking, we recommend exploring some of the youth-led learning tools on our Collated List of Online Climate Change Learning Resources, such as the Earth Rangers app or Wildlife Trusts Wildlife Watch activities.
However, if you are ready to embed this kind of transformative action learning, and green skills building, into your school or youth group, we invite you to join us. Our Young Changemakers programme provides the framework you need to empower your young people to turn environmental and eco-anxiety into hope-based action.
SEEd Young Changemakers explore the sustainability work already underway in their area, connecting with local community collaborators. Credit: Bracknell Forest Council.
If you would like to bring the Young Changemakers programme to your school or youth group, please get in touch at admin@se-ed.org.uk.
George Edwards
Featured image credit: Bracknell Forest Council.
