What role can young people play in coming up with ideas around the pressing issue of climate change? Judging by the response of students taking part in the Lowestoft Energy Challenge, then the answer is quite a lot.

The Challenge
The Energy Challenge is a pilot project developed by NESTA and the Make Your Mark campaign. It involved teams of students from a primary school, secondary school and a college in Lowestoft, Suffolk taking responsibility for researching and learning about the issue of climate change, coming up with ideas about how they could improve the energy efficiency of their school and then pitching these to a panel of judges to secure funding to implement them.

The teams organised field trips, visits from specialists and conducted research to build their knowledge about climate change and discover what individuals can do to reduce their environmental impact.



Several local businesses and organisations were consulted by the young people. These included SLP Energy, a major offshore engineering company, and the University of the East of England’s Carbon Reduction Programme (CRed). 

Through interaction with these and other organisations, the Energy Challenge is helping to raise awareness among young people about local careers and business opportunities in the renewable energy industry. Lowestoft is part of a regional hub for the renewable energy industry in the East of England, as this is expected to be a significant growth area for the local economy.

The ideas put forward by participating students
The two schools - Deans High School and Poplars Primary School – and the college have all been successful in their pitches. The schools both came up with plans for wind turbines to generate electricity, with Denes High School proposing to link theirs to an information system in the main school hall to show how much electricity it generates.

Students from Lowestoft College are going to purchase a compactor to turn wood chippings from their carpentry department into solid fuel. They also plan to create a waste sculpture to highlight the need for greater recycling among local residents.



The College and the schools have also come together to plan the launch of a website to highlight the steps students and other members of the local community can take to reduce their energy use. As well as information and tips, it will include games and fun activities on an environmental theme.


What the judges said
Katherine Mathieson, Head of NESTA's Future Innovators team, was one of the judges. She believes that the young people developed skills crucial for innovation through taking part: “As well as devising energy-saving ideas, which could benefit the whole community, the students gained skills and confidence from researching and developing their ideas. They have learned about teamwork, communication, persuasion, problem-solving and research.” 



Saskia Kent, Campaign Leader for Make Your Mark in Lowestoft and also one of the judges, said: “This practical, real-life experience will set participants up for life. What’s more, having a group of children and young people who have developed skills in these areas is a great resource that can be drawn on by the whole community.”

The young people are now working on the next and arguably most difficult phase of the project – how to put their plans into practice. Mandy Booysen, a student from Denes High School said: “This has been an amazing experience and has been key in making us realise the effect of our energy use."

Source: www.nesta.org.uk