The Role of Young People in Developing Sustainable Communities

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The Role of Young People in Developing
Sustainable Communities

• Dr Paul Teedon, Senior Research Fellow
• Polly Griffiths, Research Fellow
• Caledonian Environment Centre
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• 5th Annual International Sustainable Development
  Conference
• Sustainability - Creating the Culture
• Inverness, 12th November 2008

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Introduction

• Policy development
• Increased involvement of children in policy
  directly related to them
• Origins in UN Convention on the Rights of the
  Child
• views of the child being given due weight in
  accordance with the age and maturity of the
  child.
• Largely restricted to direct childrens
  services - notably social care
• Where a statutory duty exists

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Children and sustainability

• Children as central to sustainability policy - at
  least in terms of education
• Both UK and Scottish governments refer to it as
  being embedded in schools
• Case Studies
• Eco Schools
• Central Belt Sustainable (village) Community

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Case Study Eco-Schools Scotland

• What is Eco Schools
• Initiative designed to encourage whole-school
  action for the environment
• Environmental management tool
• Learning resource
• Recognised award scheme
• www.ecoschoolsscotland.org.uk

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Case Study Eco Schools

• Aims to improve
• the environmental performance of the school
• awareness of pupils to environmental issues
• pupil involvement, particularly in decision
  making
• Phased process
• Modular
• Highest level achievement Green Flag
• Assessed through on-site visit

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Case Study Eco Schools

• Environmental topics
• Litter
• Waste minimisation
• Energy
• Transport
• Bio-diversity
• Health and well-being
• Water
• School grounds
• Sustaining our world
• School addresses litter and two others (to obtain
  Green Flag)

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Case Study Eco Schools

• Key expectation pupils integral to the process
• Ecocode e.g. as a song or poem
• Eco Committee led by pupils allowing children
  to nominate candidates is more successful than
  where children are allocated by staff
• Audit looks for evidence that the Eco Committee
  is involved at all levels and is representative
  of each class
• Environmental Review of environmental topics by
  Eco Committee
• Produces an Action Plan - outlining actions
  responsibilities resource requirements
  timescales information needs indicators
  outcomes

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Case Study Eco Schools

• Action Plan Pupils must be directly involved in
  the subsequent monitoring and evaluation
• No prescription how this is done but suggests
  sets out
• what
• how
• impacts
• long term implications
• Enables development of requirements for
• Indicators
• baseline information
• data gathering
• support
• analysis and reporting

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Case Study Eco Schools

• Monitoring
• counting the numbers of bags for recycling
• recording the types of litter being picked up
• measuring energy use
• litter surveys
• pupil monitors
• questionnaires
• photographs
• all ages can be actively included e.g. visual
  methods with younger children
• Incentives (prizes etc) can encourage involvement
  - e.g. class prizes where lights are turned off
  or for individuals seen picking up litter

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Case Study Eco Schools

• Sustainable communities
• Development of Days of Action for whole
  community to participate
• Encouraging local business take up through
  seeking sponsorship
• Pupils responsible for initiating contact
• Can result in substantial increased activity by
  whole community

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Capacity building working with children
• Funded through the Scottish Government
• Aim to improve environmental quality and build
  community capacity
• Agreed strategy to work with school children in
  local primary school
• Perceived reluctance of community to engage
• Ostensible starting point was on views of
  construction of Multi-use Game Area (MUGA)

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Stage One Exercise
• Agreed starting point
• Work with children (Primary 1 7) to determine
  their views of the area
• Three stages
• Map the village focusing on geographical area
  adjacent to school, and connections to proposed
  location of MUGA
• Identified environmental likes / dislikes and
  preferred changes colour coded
• List these and justify these

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Case Study Sustainable village
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Case Study Sustainable village
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Case Study Sustainable village
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Case Study Sustainable village

• Second stage exercise
• Ranking of priorities for action things the
  children disliked in the village
• traffic lights assessment
• Produced 5 environmental priorities
• Litter
• Vandalism
• Graffiti
• Gangs of older children
• Broken Glass

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Presentations and Workshops
• Two workshops held - to encourage participation
  by parents
• Presentations and displays
• Presentations by children on stage to parents
• Displays of maps and issues children guided
  parents around the school hall
• Consider own environmental bads ranked
• Examine problems raised by children and identify
  solutions

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Breakouts Groups explored each of five issues
• Detailed consideration of its character
• What needs to be done
• What is already being done
• How could monitor actions
• Identify responsibilities who could do what
• How success could be measured

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Key Issues
• Willingness of participants to get involved
• Attendees engaged in the workshops discussions
  positively
• Interested in taking responsibility for problems
  teenage incivility
• and to look for solutions e.g. through seeking
  appropriate help
• But need (institutional) help
• Positive and supportive attitude
• Willingness to give time
• Need for continuity
• Learning from others

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Learning points the community had
• Clear insights into problems
• Limited nature of problems, minor in comparison
• Clear insights into where solutions lay
• Self-confidence needed building
• A real role to play
• Perceived formal meetings negatively
• Responded very effectively to the workshop format
• Desire not to reinvent the wheel learn from
  other communities
• School seen as a key resource and a hub

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Case Study Sustainable village

• Possible constraints
• Eco Schools where schools failed tendency for
  teachers to lead
• Sustainable village project considerable
  resistance
• From gatekeepers
• To proposed research process
• Results of activities with children
• Suspicions
• Barriers constrained attempts to engage
• Political sensitivity

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Conclusions

• Children still under estimated
• For active engagement there is a need for real
  trust and confidence from staff / adults
• Adults may need support to make it work
• Can demonstrate real awareness
• Ownership is key
• Can be part of solution process its monitoring
  and evaluation
• Young people are capable of contributing to
  sustainability policy and actions

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• Thank You