On Wednesday, teachers and youth leaders met to cut the cake to celebrate the launch of the BIG Ideas Challenge. BIG Ideas Challenge is a ready-made programme that will help young people to link every day activities such as saving energy and water, or fixing their clothes, to: the science of cutting emissions, the history and geography of access to resources, and the politics of social justice and climate change. It’s a challenge, with an amazing prize of a fantastic outdoor adventure for the best project, and resources, support, mentoring, and seed-funding to get it off the ground.
Young people, with support from Experts and a Project Mentor will plan and implement a project that reduces environmental impact in the community. The best 10 projects will get up to £250 to help get their project started. The Challenge is offered by Communities Living Sustainably in Dorset (CLS), which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund.
Emily Bullock, from CLS, says, “We know young people are full of good ideas; the BIG Ideas Challenge gives them the opportunity to come up with solutions, and then see if they really work! We’re delighted to be working with a team of Experts from: Love your Clothes, foodfutureBridport, Wessex Water, Travel Dorset, Keith Wheaton-Green, and Dorset Waste Partnership, who will help the young people to develop their projects. We’re also planning a live judging / award ceremony to showcase the projects and decide on the winning team”.
“Alison Jay, CLS Eco Schools Officer, added, “BIG Ideas works really well with Eco Schools as well as other youth clubs, environment badges for Brownies and Guides, Cubs and Scouts and D of E. The UK has agreed to meet challenging carbon emissions targets by 2025 and 2050, some of our young people could be leading the country by then, and it’ll be great to see what they come up with!”
To find out more come go to: www.clsdorset.org.uk/BigIdeas.aspx
Photo: BIG Ideas Challenge – cutting the cake.