British Gas: Our Planet, Our Say (OPOS)

Think Tanks – Inspiring young minds to campaign for change
www.generationgreen.co.uk

Aim

To help the top 20 green-minded 7-16 year olds in Britain learn about sustainability in order to present a manifesto to Parliament.

Background

Through a competition, British Gas sought out the top 20 green young minds before taking them on three exciting trips to learn about sustainability. The three events were themed (Recycle, Renew and Re-educate) and saw them visit key locations such as a recycling plant in Essex, the Met Office in Exeter, and a sustainable community in Croydon. This was concluded in a manifesto of the top ideas put together by them. The manifesto was presented to Ed Milliband MP (then Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change), Greg Barker (then Shadow Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change) as well as other key MPs during a reception at Parliament. The manifesto was later presented to the Scottish Parliament by its Scottish representatives in the group.

What did we do?

We collaborated with other Generation Green partners to build the workshops and ensure that they were suitable for such a wide age range. On the event days our staff played a significant part in the management of the students. We also produced curriculum materials to support teachers around Britain in the themed event areas.

Results

Large press coverage locally and nationally following the young people on their journey – in both print and TV news items. One member also received the fantastic opportunity to appear on Blue Peter – demonstrating the strength of this campaign.