by George Edwards, MSc Science Communication Graduate, UWE Bristol, and Programmes and Communications Officer, SEEd
Throughout my school education, it often felt that what was being taught about sustainability didn’t help prepare me for taking action for the planet. In fact, it often left me quite overwhelmed.
It is certainly important to understand the climate system and look in detail at what is causing the global crisis, but focusing purely on the problem led to strong feelings of eco-anxiety. If we want the next generation to become climate ambassadors, activists or stewards, we need to build a sense of eco-hope. Youth need a sense of empowerment; knowing that the actions we take do make a difference.
The first step to doing this is putting the learner at the heart of sustainability. Truly listening to young people, and taking their concerns or ideas on board, is the first step in achieving a simple, yet time-constrained, goal: putting sustainability at the heart of learning in the rapidly changing world we call home.
George Edwards, MSc Science Communication
Finding Youth Voices in Research
I first came across SEEd whilst researching for my Master’s thesis, exploring the levels of eco-anxiety in young people and how podcasts can help alleviate those feelings. It was then that I discovered the Attitudes to Sustainability Survey, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t taken aback. I had found an organisation that was truly centering youth voice – not just collecting data, but taking the views of young people and using them as a base on which to refine their work and advocate for curriculum change.
SEEd’s Youth Listening Project – a long-term aggregation of thousands of student voices – became a key resource in helping me build a picture of youth anxieties in the UK and beyond. What I appreciated most about the project was its purpose, not just its findings.
The Youth Listening Project is a tool for schools, universities and youth groups to not only make youth voices heard, but to create a baseline of sustainability attitudes in their institution. From here, organisations can build on the views of their students to inform strategies and action plans. This is the bridge between the classroom reality I experienced and changing national policy to truly integrate sustainability into the curriculum.
Eight Years of Changing Perspectives
Data is the foundation for effective change. To influence policy-makers, school leaders or even our own mindsets, we need to take into account the lived experiences of those we aim to prepare for an uncertain future. We need the proof that transformative learning – education for sustainability, not just about it – works. This is what drives youth action, hope and empowerment.
Looking at the three Youth Listening Reports (2018-19, 2021-23 and 2023-25) together, the narrative is clear. Students are moving from a period of information-seeking – a period in which the education system seems stuck – towards an era of agency-seeking.
The Youth Listening Project so far has revealed changes in youth attitudes towards sustainability and education for sustainability.
In 2018, the conversation focused on visibility and building awareness. By 2025, this focus has evolved into a demand for purpose and education on how to take action for the planet.
Young person shares their ideas with a teacher and classmates. Credit: Bracknell Forest Council.
Excitingly for me, with my background in eco-anxiety research, there is a major shift happening. Through these eight years of student voices, we can see that eco-anxiety is slowly, but surely being replaced by eco-agency. Students are telling educators that the best way to support their wellbeing is not just to talk about the problems, but to provide the space and resources to lead projects that solve them. This desire for agency and the facilitation of action is exactly what continues to help SEEd refine its Young Changemakers programme for schools and youth groups.
Championing Youth Voices
Research is only powerful when it leads to change, and I am immensely proud to be playing a part in this ongoing research project. By shaping education and SEEd’s work to the needs of young people, we ensure that the curriculum is hitting the actual desires of the learners.
But SEEd are not the only ones who benefit from listening. If you are a school leader or educator, I encourage you to use the Attitudes to Sustainability Surveys in your own setting. It is the first step in understanding your baseline and moving towards a Whole School Approach to sustainability.
Student voices heard in the Youth Listening Project to date.
I also invite you to explore the full reports in SEEd’s new Evidence Hub. The research housed here is designed to support your work, strategies and Climate Action Plans.
Education is changing, and the desires of young people are too. There is still work to be done to ensure that current education practices really are empowering the next generation to become leaders and changemakers for a more sustainable future. By listening, we ensure that the future is one they believe in, and play a central role in creating.
If you would like to partner with us on our 2025-2027 research cohorts, or 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.
