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DenyAcceptThe mission of the Green Influencers Scheme is to help young people create deep, lasting and meaningful connections with the natural environment. By taking part in ambitious youth-led projects, young people will learn and develop new skills that will improve their life chances, open up progression routes and help inspire their local communities to take meaningful action too. Green Influencers are ambassadors for the environment, changing the world for the better through youth social action.
SOS-UK’s Green Mentors have collectively engaged 200 young people in youth social action, mostly in disadvantaged areas, supporting young people to gain confidence, learn new skills such as project management and enjoy new outdoor learning experiences.
Over half of the Green Influencers in Norfolk attend schools located in the most deprived areas of England, with an IMD decile of 1. In Norfolk, 85% of Green Influencers each taking part in an average of six sessions, attend schools in areas weighted 5 IMD deciles or below. In Southampton, a third of Green Mentors are in areas in the most deprived decile, and another third in the second most deprived.
In total 81 Green Influencers have taken part in youth social action across Norfolk and 88 in Southampton, each Influencer spending an average of almost 10 hours connecting with nature and leading on climate action.
The Green Influencer newspaper with Norfolk Heritage Centre
History Hunters at the Norfolk Heritage Centre have created a tabloid newspaper called The Green Influencer, highlighting climate issues that matter to them. 1000 copies have been shared with Norfolk libraries, helping inspire collective climate action and reaching diverse communities around the county.
Green Influencers at the Polygon School are repairing smartphones and tablets to address the issue of electronic waste as well making tech more affordable for their community. The group chose to do this because they think it is unfair that phones need to be replaced so often, and that children are involved in the mining of the raw materials. After receiving basic training from an electrician at a local repair cafe, the group are now working towards a level 1 (and possibly even level 2!) certification in phone repair.
Green Influencers at Northgate high School are developing a traditional orchard of fruit trees, inspired by a recent National Trust report highlighting the decline of traditional orchards in the UK. Working alongside Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, students have started an orchard committee and will open the site in 2023.
At Hightown, a group of young people with no gardens at home have created a productive allotment on a previously unused and overgrown part of the school grounds. They are not only learning useful life skills in growing their own food, but they are going to be preserving their excess and distributing it in the community.
History Hunters at the Norfolk Heritage Centre have created a tabloid newspaper called The Green Influencer, written from their perspective and highlighting climate issues that matter to them. Green Influencers interviewed local individuals responding to the climate emergency, designed meme illustrations and worked with Ark to design the layout and aesthetic of the newspaper. 1000 copies have been shared with Norfolk libraries, helping inspire collective climate action and reaching diverse communities around the county.
Green Influencers at the Polygon School are repairing smartphones and tablets to address the issue of electronic waste as well making tech more affordable for their community. The group chose to do this because they think it is unfair that phones need to be replaced so often, and that children are involved in the mining of the raw materials. After receiving basic training from an electrician at a local repair café, the group are now working towards a level 1 (and possibly even level 2!) certification in phone repair.
Green Influencers at Northgate high School are developing a traditional orchard of fruit trees as well as a tree nursery on their school site, inspired by a recent National Trust report highlighting the decline of traditional orchards in the UK. Working alongside Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse and Tree Officers, students have developed an orchard committee and are currently developing green spaces on the school’s site.
At Hightown, a group of young people with no gardens at home have created a productive allotment on a previously unused and overgrown part of the school grounds. They are not only learning useful life skills in growing their own food, but they are going to be preserving their excess and distributing it in the community.
Studies show that nature-connectedness tends to decrease in people aged 10-14† – an age that is already a difficult period of transition. Our youth-led sessions reverse this trend, embedding nature into the lives of young people and helping make youth social action a habit-for-life.
Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow – they are leaders now!
The Green Influencers Scheme was developed by The Ernest Cook Trust as a match-funded project with the #iwill Fund. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £50 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
Are you aged 10-14? Are you full of exciting ideas to help improve the environment and the community you live in? Join the Green Influencers Scheme to imagine, make, and share your own projects!
As a young person, you’re not just a leader of tomorrow – you can be a leader now. If you have ideas for getting yourself or your friends to connect with nature, we want to help you make those ideas a reality. As an environmental youth social action project this could include elements of volunteering, fundraising, campaigning or supporting your peers, but projects can be anything you like – for example, creating a community garden. You will be at the forefront of making and carrying out your project from start to finish. Our Green Mentors will be here to support you - to help you make connections in your community and to get funding to make it happen.
To get involved, please get in touch with your local Green Mentor: