Aviva Community Fund has provided £3,515 of match funding
Empower Young People to Create a Greener Future
England, United Kingdom
Aim
Empower young people to save our planet! £15,000 funding goal to bring climate education & eco-innovation to schools
Exciting news! We’re launching our first crowdfunder, aiming to raise £15,000 to bring a much needed combination of climate education, innovation and entrepreneurship to over 1000 young people in schools across England.
Our Story
The Young Green Briton Challenge launched in 2022 and is sparking a green revolution in schools supporting over 6000 young people to date to design, present and implement innovative ideas for tackling climate change. Think, green Dragon’s Den comes to local schools, making a positive difference to students, their local community and the planet.
82% of young people who've taken part now feel more hopeful about tackling climate change.
91% increased their knowledge about climate change and over 80% have learnt skills they think will help them in their future.
But we need your help!
We have schools ready to sign up for September, but their budgets are stretched so we need to raise money to enable them to participate free of charge. £15,000 will enable us to reach over 1000 students in less advantaged areas - places where young people have big ideas but might not have the resources to make them happen.
Here's how the programme works
- We collaborate with teachers to co-deliver a curriculum aligned set of lessons and workshops which equip young people with the facts, resources and tools to investigate the causes and impacts of climate change in their local community
- Students then team up to tackle local eco-problems they care about. This could be anything from saving wildlife to fighting fast fashion, cutting food waste to cleaning up litter, or even coming up with cool ideas for clean energy and greener ways to get around.
- They become green entrepreneurs researching the problems, developing ideas, and testing them through prototypes. They create awareness campaigns, community projects, or even mini-businesses.
- They also learn valuable skills for future employment including teamwork, problem solving, project management, budgeting and pitching.
- Students pitch to an Eco-Dragons Den to receive money and help from our team of expert volunteer mentors to bring their ideas to life.
- Everyone comes together to celebrate what they've achieved at the end of the school year, with the best teams participating in our Annual Awards Ceremony with a chance to win more funding to further grow the impact of their projects
Here’s how your donations can make a difference
£30 - Start-up funding: For a team of 5 budding young environmentalists will provide materials to bring their ideas to life.
£150 - Expert mentorship for one student team: To pay for the recruitment, training and support for an expert volunteer mentor to guide young people through the programme, helping bring their projects to life.
£700 - Inspiring workshop for up to 300 students: Funds an action-packed day of learning, from analysing problems to brainstorming ideas and pitching solutions.
For a limited time only, every pound you donate is doubled by Aviva and helps us reach more schools, inspire more students, and nurture more brilliant ideas.
Success Stories
The Go Green Gorillas noticed the impact food waste and food miles has on the planet, so they decided to transform their school’s unused and vandalized garden to grow vegetables, including a wormery for fertiliser. Their garden now yields loads of veggies that the school chef uses for school meals. The team has now raised hundreds of pounds through their seed and plants sales to expand their project and support 16 other schools in the north east to grow their own food and tackle food waste!
Team Eco Stationery recognised the immense cost and waste created by school stationery, so they created a new sustainable stationery shop in their school in 2023, which included biodegradable notebooks, bamboo pens, and other essential school items for students. Their project was such a success that their school leadership team implemented it full time, empowering the entire school to make long-lasting change in reducing stationery waste!
The students at St Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment are #LITTERALLY on a mission to stop litter from taking over our planet! Through their social media campaign The LITTERALLY Project, they are creating a movement to get people out picking up litter everywhere. During their litter picks in Liverpool, they shared stories and facts online about the impacts of litter on people and the environment, especially for those with visual impairments. They’ve roused others across England, and even all the way to Scotland and Ireland to take action and clean up their greenspaces too. These students are working tirelessly to create a safer and greener world for everyone, and they want YOU to join them!
Reminder of how you can help
We're on a mission to bring the Young Green Briton Challenge to young people who might not otherwise get the chance. We believe that talent is universal, even if opportunity is not.
We invite you to join us on this exciting journey by supporting our Crowdfunding Campaign to raise £15,000. Thanks to Aviva Match Funding, all first-time donations will be matched up to £250, doubling the impact of your generosity!
Get Involved:
- Donate - simply donate or grab one of our carefully curated rewards before they're gone. We can't continue to do what we do without your support. By donating through our Crowdfunder, your impact will be doubled.
- Spread the Word - share our crowdfunding campaign on social media and encourage your friends, family and neighbours to donate.
- Encourage your company to donate and kick start an exciting partnership with us.
Our impact to date
Here's what we've achieved so far: In just two years, we've worked with over 6,000 students across 23 schools. And guess what? Everyone loves it - young people, teachers, and our volunteer mentors are all giving us a big thumbs up.
We're not just teaching facts - we're building skills that will last a lifetime. We've earned a Level 3 accreditation from Skills Builder, which means we're really good at helping young people boost their creativity, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and communication skills.
But here's the best part: 82% of the young people who've taken part now feel more hopeful about tackling climate change. They're realising that they can make a real difference.
So now you've heard what difference we can make together, are you ready to help us unleash some eco-creativity?
The team behind YGBC
The Young Green Briton Challenge is a powerful collaboration born from the shared vision of three small but mighty organisations: Social Innovation for All, GenEarth, and Ministry of Eco Education. United by our passion for climate action and youth empowerment, we came together in 2022 with a simple yet ambitious goal: to create something bigger than they could achieve alone.
By pooling our expertise and resources, we designed and launched The Young Green Briton Challenge, aiming to reach as many young innovators as possible. This partnership isn't just about combining forces - it's about amplifying impact, inspiring more young minds, and accelerating the pace of positive change for our planet.
Donate today - By supporting this campaign, you're not just funding a programme - you're telling young people "Your voice matters, and we believe in you”
Remember, with Aviva Match Funding, your donation can go twice as far!
This project successfully funded on 14th August 2024