SOS-UK and the Department for Education are delighted to welcome the new Youth Sustainability Champions following a highly competitive recruitment process.
The three new Youth Sustainability Champions will be taking over from Will Wale and Jodie Bailey-Ho, and continuing to champion youth voice in the Department for Education's sustainability work. We are incredibly excited by the wide diversity of skills and background that the new cohort bring, and look forward to supporting them to grow and develop the YSC roles over the next two years.
Eliška Gooch (23) is an Environmental Science graduate who is currently working for climate charity Another Way and in an outdoor education centre. She is starting a Masters degree in Climate Science at Nottingham University in September, and sits on UNEP's Children and Youth Major Group (CYMG). She grew up in a rural, coastal community and has personal experience of coastal flooding and erosion. Eliška has an incredibly strong scientific understanding of the climate crisis and a deep commitment to integration of research and science in policy making. She has run Green Influencer workshops in schools across the Midlands, and is also very passionate about online disinformation and the manipulation of the climate conversation through social media. She will be representing the northern regions of England.
Naomi Davis (18) is currently finishing her first year as a Drama undergraduate at Oxford Brookes, and is originally from Birmingham. Naomi calls for the integration of climate education across the wider curriculum, particularly into arts subjects and vocational courses, and through practical solutions-based learning. She is passionate about communicating sustainability, climate justice and green skills to young people who don't identify with the more traditional 'climate subjects' of Geography and Science, and brings a great background in performing arts and Design and Technology. Naomi has a really impressive grasp of the current DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, and shows a very strong ability to identify gaps and give constructive feedback. She will be representing the midlands region.
Alfie Erfan (21) is currently working as a support worker in a homeless hostel, and is starting a tech apprenticeship with Accenture in September. Alfie is care experienced with lived experience of homelessness and being NEET (not in education, employment or training), and brings a significant passion for climate justice, tech accessibility, inclusion and equity, along with the use of AI and its crossover with sustainability. He has worked closely with the Drive Forward Foundation, who support care leavers with gaining training and work opportunities. Alfie is active online and uses his Tiktok channel to communicate tech innovations with his peer audience, and is very passionate about using online spaces to engage diverse young people in DfE's work. He is from London and will be representing the south.
If you would like to get in touch with the Youth Sustainability Champions about engagement work with your setting, organisation or department, please email hannah.fitzpatrick@sos-uk.org, and connect with all three Champions on LinkedIn!