Young Environmental Champions
Helping young people turn ideas into action
Young Environmental Champions brought primary, secondary and tertiary students together to investigate environmental and social issues they cared about, develop solutions and take action in their communities.
Students learnt how to ask better questions, research complex problems, listen to different perspectives, collaborate and communicate their ideas. Along the way, they received training and mentoring and connected with people in government, education, industry, research and their communities who could help them turn their ideas into action.
The 2023 program culminated in a major showcase at Newcastle Museum, where 10 student teams presented their community action projects to a panel of environmental, education and industry experts. The event brought together two NSW Government ministers, Newcastle’s Deputy Mayor and representatives from local government and regional organisations. Facilitated by Josh Farr, the showcase gave young people the opportunity to present their solutions, respond to expert questions and demonstrate the skills and confidence they had developed over 10 weeks of training, mentoring and collaboration.
Young Environmental Champions was built around a belief that young people are capable of contributing to solutions to the challenges facing their communities when they have access to the right people, skills and opportunities.
What students learnt:
- Investigate issues that interest them, asking questions, researching problems and finding out what is happening beyond their own experience.
- Understand different perspectives, listening to others, questioning assumptions and recognising that people can see the same issue differently.
- Communicate their ideas with confidence, explaining their thinking, engaging with different audiences and learning how to bring people together.
- Turn ideas into action, working with others to develop solutions, make things happen and learn from the experience.
How it Worked
The program focused on three key pillars of support. NETWORKING-MENTORING-EMPOWERING .
NETWORK young people with:
- Other young people in their region and other regions across NSW.
- Young people/role models who have successfully transitioned to higher education as mentors.
- Subject matter experts both within their community and outside their community.
- Other young people who have designed and delivered successful community projects.
- Mentors, allies, champions.
MENTOR young people to:
- Develop new skills and knowledge.
- Create and implement their OWN solutions, relevant to their local communities and/or educational institutions.
- Be changemakers and influencers.
- Develop social capital – the friendships, community contacts, mentors and networks that build a sense of belonging now and in the future.
EMPOWER young people to:
- Confidently design and implement action learning experiences that have a genuine impact, from start to finish.
- Build their networks.
- Have agency and voice.
- Develop succession plans and leave a legacy.
What was Involved and Skills Participants Got
Over the course of the 10 week program, the YEC participants:
Attended ONE regional in-person design thinking workshop for team building exercises, research and reflection on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, project ideation brainstorming, and community action planning.
Identified their unique strengths, opportunities for personal growth, set their goals and begin their journey.
Learnt skills to improve their wellbeing, resilience and mental health when faced with adverse events affecting their local community and environment (fires, flood, COVID).
Were trained and mentored on the value of diversity, proactive listening/hearing skills and applied empathy.
Networked with experts and mentors, who are current practitioners and volunteers working closely with local community groups such as sustainable food hubs, Landcare, and Bushcare.
Visited relevant local community projects with their mentors.
Forged community connects that build individual and collective resilience of the community to over-coming challenges and adversity such as fire, flood and climate variability.
Participated in a ONE day in-person regional pitch, reflection, and celebration event where they shared their community action plan and project delivery learnings; workshop their next steps as capacity builders for other young people in their communities; developing a pathway for stepping up in leadership; creating a framework for applying what they have learned.
A broad range of regionally based experts, including young role models from the agricultural sector, known as Young Farming Champions (YFC), ensured the program was youth led, co-designed and actively incorporated the voices of young people from design to delivery as well as acted as workshop co-hosts.
Teacher Support
YECs were supported by one teacher from their school to bring teaching expertise to the workshops, provide trusted boundaries for behaviour and support students to remain focussed on the problem and solution creation. Teachers also connected with experts in environment and sustainability, as well as forged new community connects, building their capacity and capability to embed sustainability thinking into their curriculum more broadly.
Participant Support
Participants were supplied with a resource pack to support all workshop activities and connect with each-other through regular online sessions for structured support in the co-design creation of their impactful community action plan.
Mentor Support
In addition to the experiences that the school students completed, the YFC mentors and YEC from the higher education sector participated in an online workshop to provide them with the foundational knowledge and skills for their mentoring role.
The workshop explored:
- What it means to be a mentor
- Explored the challenges and potential solutions that mentees may face, including conversations on diversity, what is ‘on the table vs off the table,’ proactive listening skills as well as applied empathy.
Testimonials
“So grateful that Action4Agriculture chose the Riverina as the pilot to launch this amazing opportunity for young regional youth. Riverina Local Land Services will be proudly supporting it ! It goes hand in hand with our existing partnership with Action4Agriculture growing tomorrow’s young leaders today.”
– Ray Willis MD Riverina Local Land Services
“Soroptimist International Griffith applauds the incredible work Action4Agriculture does to support young leaders in our communities. The Young Environmental Champions program will be an invaluable, empowering experience for the students, staff and mentors involved.”
“The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation supports innovative organisations that are ready to take ambitious steps to bring their ideas to fruition and the Action4Youth – Empowering Young Environmental Champions program strongly aligns with our strategy of backing young people in regional communities. It will give youth and young leaders’ greater agency, skills and equipping them with tools and networks to be purposeful and effective in their careers, with an emphasis on important environmental issues.”
– David Hardie VFFF Foundation Manager
The Empowering Young Environmental Champions program is supported by the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation who are Backing Young People with innovative opportunities that advance their independence, social purpose and future security and the Office for Regional Youth
