Youth
Young people are our future and that is why SBCAN is putting them at the front of our work on climate action!
The team at SBCAN have placed youth engagement on Climate Action as key priority for 2024/25 and as a result we have several projects that we are working on with children and young people.
youth green summit
One of our projects is a collaboration with Jedburgh Grammar Campus Eco-Schools Groups to get school eco groups together. Together we hosted a Green Summit in September 2024 during Climate week.
Led by the students’ ideas, we put together a program which will offer a mix of sharing, discussion and speakers. Representatives from secondary schools across the Borders are invited to attend, it is an opportunity to celebrate the young people’s engagement and show them that we care about what they have to say.
This work has been possible through the relationship between SBCAN and Jedburgh Grammar which has built up through several in-person meetings, both with staff and students. We are looking forward to what comes next after the event, look out for updates on our news section of the website!
As a result of the youth green summit we launched the Borders Act for Change initiative. You can find out more on this exciting project here. Join us in February 2025 for a month of action!
youth fund
Youth engagement in Climate Action has been chosen as a key focus area for SBCAN in 2024/25. As a result, our first funding of the year was targeted towards activities that engage young people.
Our Youth Climate Action Fund launched on the 13th May and had the following categories: Community Action which benefits our planet, Developing Sustainable practices, Encouraging Climate Resilience and Adaptations, Learning new skills and discovering nature. During the period that the fund was open, the SBCAN team were able to offer support and guidance to groups applying to the fund in the form of online sessions and 1:1’s. We had a brilliant response and a high number of applications from a diverse range of groups, many who were new to Climate Action.
Following a selection process by an expert panel, £15633 has been distributed to 19 different projects. These groups include Schools, Youth groups, Scouts, organisations working with young people with additional support needs, nature-based organisations and social enterprise. The funding will have a positive impact on minimum of 2054 children and young people from the Scottish Borders Region.
The Climate Action Fund has helped us to develop relationship with a new audience not previously engaged with the Borders Climate Action Network. We will continue to nurture these relationships through targeted events, training and further funding in the future.
