The Good Life Schools programme will work with 11-18-year-olds in Sheffield from the start of the 2024-25 school year to develop a Good Life Charter for their school communities.
Through long-term commitments to reduce consumption and improve wellbeing, the charter aims to create a culture of positive environmental changemaking and strengthen the relationship between schools and their local communities in support of a low carbon future.
As part of the project, Sheffield Hallam University's Institute of Education will be working with local schools to help them create their Good Life Charters and hosting a Good Life Summit at the end of the year
Hallam will also be working with Sheffield City Council to identify organisations and businesses that can help support the schools.
Lee Jowett, Climate Change and Sustainability Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “This is a great opportunity to work directly with schools in Sheffield on climate action, using our expanding research into climate education in schools and education settings. The Good Life Schools Project is one of several projects which will be launched this academic year with support from Sheffield Hallam as the Institute of Education builds on our research and knowledge exchange in climate change and sustainability education.
“As an applied university, it’s imperative that we can share our knowledge and research with young people in Sheffield, as well as their teachers and parents.”
The programme is being delivered by environmental charity Global Action Plan across 60 schools in Yorkshire, the Midlands, South Wales and North East England, with the long-term aim of replicating the programme at a national level, enabling communities across the UK to access and run the programme independently.
Global Action Plan has received over £1.1m over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund to run the programme. This grant comes from the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million commitment over 10 years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support communities across the UK to act on climate change and involve more people in climate action.
Dr Morgan Phillips, Global Action Plan’s Director of Education and Youth Engagement, said: “Over-consumption not only harms the health of our planet, but also has a detrimental impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are enabling school communities across the UK to explore and experience what it means to lead happier, lower-impact lives. Through our Good Life Schools programme, we hope to empower a generation of young people to act collectively for the good of people and planet, creating the climate resilient, sustainable and compassionate society we need.”
Speaking about the Good Life Schools project, Nick Gardner, Head of Climate Action at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Young people today are growing up in a world full of pressures – some very visible, others less so. What we buy and consume as we go about our daily lives has an important environmental impact; if everyone in the world lived like the average UK citizen, we would need around two and a half planets to support them.
“It’s important to set out the ‘why’ but also to move beyond this to the ‘how’. The National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund supports hundreds of projects across the UK which support local communities to take climate action in a variety of ways. This imaginative project aims to encourage school pupils to consider (together) the wider impacts of their purchasing decisions as well as offering support for those who want to take positive environmental action.”
