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DenyAcceptAlfie Erfan, Eliška Gooch and Naomi Davis are the Department for Education’s three Youth Sustainability Champions, supported by SOS-UK. They work closely with the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Unit to ensure that youth voice is substantially included as they implement and further develop their Climate Change Strategy, which was originally launched in 2022, with a refresh to be published in 2025.
They are serving a two year term, which will end on 30th June 2027.
They meet quarterly with Minister Stephen Morgan, who is the DfE minister responsible for sustainability, buildings and science in education. They also meet monthly and work very closely with the Sustainability and Climate Change Unit, and also meet with other ministers, policymakers, and experts across the Department to support them with understanding how young people’s voices can be engaged with their work.
They regularly visit schools and education settings to engage with a wide range of young people, including those who don’t normally have an opportunity to engage with sustainability in education. They also work closely with a wide variety of youth networks, to ensure that they fully understand the full range of young people’s views with respect to DfE’s approach to dealing with the climate challenge.
The UK pledged to the Universal NDC Youth Clause at COP29, with the YFPs used as an example of effective youth engagement within its NDC. This is a global recognition of young people as key agents of change and highlights their critical role in delivering sustainability policy and strategy.
They hold workstreams including working on youth roundtable discussions and climate justice with the Curriculum and Assessment Review. The YSCs are also exploring learning around capital projects and school buildings, and the link these can provide to green skills learning, along with cross governmental work and helping young people understand DfE’s and the broader government’s climate policy.
They are working together to support the Curriculum and Assessment Review, ensuring that the Department for Education is best supported to embed sustainability and climate change across subjects and in a way that meaningfully engages learners with the wider societal impacts and system changes surrounding climate change and mitigation.
They are committed to tackling inequality in climate education and access to nature, and promote the government's Opportunity Mission.
Read about the work of the previous cohort:
The YSCs are very engaged with the DfE’s many partners who are implementing elements of their Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for Education, as well as with universities and charities involved in furthering Climate Education across England.
They have supported the exam board OCR with the development of the Natural History GCSE, sitting on their advisory board. The previous cohort, Jodie and Will, worked closely with the Natural History Museum’s team working on the National Education Nature Park to support with engagement and youth voice, and also with United Learning as they have developed the Sustainability Support for Education resource hub. Will sat on the advisory board for the Climate Ambassadors Scheme being run by EAUC and the University of Reading, and also on the advisory board for UCL’s Institute of Education Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education.
Alfie , Eliška and Naomi always want to hear young people’s views and feedback about sustainability education. If you have a comment, view, or piece of feedback you would like to share, please do email them via Hannah Fitzpatrick:
hannah.fitzpatrick@sos-uk.org
Over the past two years, SOS-UK has successfully delivered the first YFP programme. We have recruited, trained, and mentored Jodie Bailey-Ho and Will Wale, who have consistently praised our support. We are incredibly proud of our work with Jodie and Will.
Along with weekly online meetings with their mentor, Hannah Fitzpatrick, the YFPs benefit from SOS-UK’s wider organisational network and expertise.
SOS-UK supports the YFPs with tasks including workshop/focus group design, preparation of materials, and effective working with ministers and senior officials. They learn about safeguarding, equity and diversity, and security, and develop confidence in speaking to the strategy, and how to engage with the broadest possible group of young people. SOS-UK supports them to write policy recommendations and progress updates and connect them with climate education researchers. We also organise COP-specific preparation with the YFP(s) each year, including a pre-COP briefing and training on UNFCCC processes; and liaise with DfE and other stakeholders to ensure the YFPs are briefed for their programme.
We also act as a buffer between the DfE and the YFPs, ensuring that workload is manageable and Jodie and Will can prioritise their wellbeing, studies and work placements while delivering on their commitments.
The YFPs are paid an annual stipend and receive travel and subsistence expenses for their involvement in the programme.