Youth Social Action Resource Hub

US-based Earth Force uses Environmental Action Civics. Students share power with adults, practice democratic decision-making, and address local environmental problems using civics.

The Green Influencers Scheme’s mission is to help young people connect with the natural environment. By taking part in youth-led projects, they learn and develop new skills, open up progression routes and help inspire their local communities to take meaningful action. In total 81 Green Influencers have taken part across Norfolk and 88 in Southampton, each Influencer spending an average of almost 10 hours connecting with nature and leading on climate action. Some projects: The Green Influencer newspaper; Team GreenPhone: The Polygon School’s repair shop for electronic devices; a traditional orchard; an allotment for young people without gardens at home.

Young Food Ambassadors came together to launch their very own Right2Food Charter, calling on the Government to listen to their stories and those of millions of other young people across the UK who were living with increased levels of hunger and food poverty. They delivered their Right2Food Charter to 10 Downing Street with Dame Emma Thompson who is also supporting their advocacy. Since then, they have joined forces with Marcus Rashford’s #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign to make sure no child in the UK goes hungry.

11 young Traveler peer researchers were trained in basic qualitative research skills and assisted in creating a questionnaire. The peer researchers interviewed 44 x 15 - 25-year-old Travelers in London about the barriers they have faced around education, both in school and at home. They were also asked for their recommendations for improvements to the education system. The research found that the experience of bullying in school is more of a norm than an exception for young Travelers in London.

Newham-based School 21 strives to develop young people who are thoughtful problem solvers, creative innovators, and confident communicators. In this new take on traditional work experience, Year 10 students work with local businesses and the community to provide meaningful experiences that change lives. Over several weeks, every student spends half a day each week in the workplace, solving an authentic problem for a real organisation.
Previous project examples include a ‘how to’ computer guide for a local elderly home and a film on life in the community for a social housing organisation.

In Project 13, students initially narrowed down their choice of topic to ‘academic anxiety’. Each student designed their own contributions with guidance and assistance from adults and peers to create a classroom maze, which was representative of navigating the teenage years. Titled “The Maze of Emotions," it was constructed of PVC pipe and connectors and then filled with writing and art (later exhibited). Related learning and passions were also showcased onstage and/or in the classroom. Read the full article for useful insights into the steps in the development of this project.

A hub of free resources for teachers to introduce environmental and social action, particularly around climate action, into the classroom. It showcases quality-rated resources, programmers and events available from various organizations. Highlights include: youth events, most prominently, the annual Transform our World Youth Summit. The Summit is free and open to young people between 8-18, taking place online every Autumn. Also available is the option to create and implement a Schools Climate Action Planner, an easy-to-use digital tool to enable teachers, students and staff to identify actions they can take to reduce their school's environmental impact and carbon footprint.

A girls-led project (11-14 years) in the US to engage their peers in physical activity using a design thinking process to examine barriers and motivators to getting girls physically active. Part of a two-site pilot, called “Power Up for 30 Middle School Girls Physical Activity Project”. In a pre-survey, only 40% of girls said physical activity was fun, compared to 100% at the end. 80% of girls said, “I get embarrassed doing physical activity in front of others” before the programme. At the end, no participant agreed with this phrase.