University of Gloucestershire

Empowering ChangeMakers

Empowering ChangeMakers is a collaboration between University of Gloucestershire’s School of Education, Sustainability Team, and Cheltenham Education Partnership (CEP), supporting young people in learning for change, driving local outcomes and forging future sustainability-focused careers.

Having delivered action projects in their schools, 180 student leaders and 20 teachers are now gathering for an immersive training on applied sustainability themes. This sees them learning how to shape thinking on local issues, sharing their project impacts, and forging ideas and skills to change their schools, communities, and future workplaces.

This goes way beyond your usual green jobs or eco-schools activity – this is radical sustainability education with a ‘living lab’ twist, connecting student energies with university expertise and local organisations. Its impacts are changing education across these schools, equipping young people to influence major change in their communities, and helping them become the future professionals our societies and industries need.

Top 3 Learnings

1. Youth vision and energy is powerful – collaboration can help support and maximise it.
2. We partner across boundaries to build confidence and make change happen.
3. Hands-on authentic sustainability learning empowers our future changemakers.