UN Youth Office as part of London Climate Action Week

On Thursday 25th June, one of the hottest days of the year, Ms Bird took 5 Year 12s, Alexandra, Bess, Maadhesh, Sam and Tanaya to a London Climate Action Week event being held by Project Everyone and the United Nations Youth Office.

The aim of the event was to take part in an intergenerational conversation between youth and the older generation, of those in positions of power and responsibility to hear a range of diverse ideas and opinions from the younger generation. Woodcote High School Sixth Form students were one of 7 London schools invited to take part, but due to the extreme weather, with so many schools closed, all but Woodcote pulled had out of the event. As a result, the team at Project Everyone were delighted as the event could go ahead with our students’ participation (it would have been cancelled if we hadn’t have gone).

Based around three focus questions on People, Planet and Peace, the group of connectors – people from business, industry and international organisations – discussed with the young people 3 questions, such as: What does trust look like across generations, and how can it be intentionally built?  The connectors, with their different groups, then asked the youth (aged 16-35) their opinions.

The connectors that were there included:

  • Farhana Yamin, international lawyer & climate justice activist
  • Rosalind Mist, Engagements Programmes Director at WWF-UK
  • Camilla Tham, Head of International Partnerships at the Natural History Museum
  • Laura Round, Director in the Office of the International President at Bank of America
  • Piers Bradford, CEO of Project Everyone
  • Berlian Utami, Adviser for Strategic Relations & Partnerships at Rabobank

Our students were understandably nervous before the event, as it is daunting to be in conversation with not only those who are older than you, but who are in senior positions across various industries. However, speaking to them during the event and afterwards, it was clear how much they enjoyed the event and how much they felt they’d been listened to and had their opinions valued.

This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to be part of and something that was invaluable in boosting their confidence, building connections as well as being a great addition to their personal statements for their UCAS (university) applications.

A huge thank you to our students for taking part in this event and to Project Everyone for inviting us.