Hope for the future, working with young people through Cairngorms 2030
As we come to the end of the first year in the delivery of Cairngorms 2030, we caught up with James, our Learning Coordinator for the Climate learning and education project.
We have had a busy first year working with some incredible young people and facilitating a wide range of activities across our five high schools; Aboyne Academy, Alford Academy, Grantown Grammar School, Kingussie High School and Speyside High School. A big part of our project is helping schools embed learning for sustainability which encourages young people to take on lifelong pro environmental behaviours. We tailor our work based on what the teachers and learners tell us, so examples of this include work in Alford’s community garden, doing a riverside walk as part of Speyside’s interdisciplinary learning week, and supporting Aboyne Academy to set up a project based learning course for S2 learners focused on Cairngorms 2030.
For me, one of the highlights of the project so far has been working with Speyside High School’s S3 Geography class to produce climate positive videos that were shown at the Moray Climate Change conference in September. Through the workshops we organised with the school, learners developed new skills and built confidence around following a brief, filming, and editing, whilst also having a platform to express their own views in the context of tackling climate change. It was great to see the next generation focusing on practical steps that they would like to see be taken to mitigate against climate change in their own local community. The videos were even shared with Scottish Government ministers after the conference!
One of the reasons I love my job is that we get to help learners in the Cairngorms National Park realise the impact their voice can have, and help them to be heard. I’ve found this year that many of the young people we’re working with rightly have a lot to say about climate change and the environment, and they want to make a difference. The project offers opportunities to involve other organisations that have an interest in young people’s learning. It has been positive to see the work that organisations are already doing in and around the National Park, such as the Science Skills Academy (Newton Room) and Academy9.
The involvement of young people in our response to the climate crises is so important, and this past year I have been fortunate enough to see young people take part in larger scale events such as mock COP29, which was held at the Highland Council Chambers, run by the Open University, The learners’ voice is a key part of learning for sustainability that can sometimes be overlooked but it was clear to everyone who went to this event that empowered young people can have a huge impact.
It’s been a whirlwind year, but I’m looking forward to the next. It will be a busy summer term as we have lots of exciting activities in the works for learners across the Cairngorms National Park – watch this space!
Funding for the young people’s video project came from MorayCAN and Cairngorms 2030. The Cairngorms 2030 programme is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.