Inspiring the Future is keen to encourage young people’s interest in sustainability by giving them the chance to connect with volunteers from the Green Sector and discover the diversity of jobs they can aspire to.
Last week, over 500 young people from across West London were invited to Climate Kickstart, our event supported by the Mayor of London and West London Careers Hub, where students were able to gain insights from those working at the forefront of the Green Sector.
Hosted at the iconic Stamford Bridge, the day kicked off with an inspiring opening speech from Martin Baxter, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy & External Affairs at IEMA. Martin discussed the current standing of the Green Sector as well as the increased importance of green skills for the future.
Students then took part in interactive workshops led by volunteers from over 20 different employers including Ceres Power, the Eden Project and Belazu. From branding and renewable energy to sustainability in construction, the variety of workshops on offer demonstrated the enormous scope of the Green Sector.
The response from the students was extremely positive, with many saying that they had enjoyed learning more about sustainability and that meeting the volunteers was fun and engaging. The educational impact of the event was also clear, with students describing the workshops as “informative” and “eye-opening”, saying they found out about “many pathways that include sustainability” and learnt about jobs they had never heard of before.
Volunteers also gave students reassurance that they don’t need to have everything mapped out for the future, particularly since new jobs are being created all the time. One student told us, “I learnt that you don’t have to have the exact idea of what you want to do in the future from the start. You can lead on to many jobs from one subject. It was a lovely experience and I’d love to do more workshops like this in the future.”
Thank you to Chelsea FC Foundation for hosting us at their iconic West London venue and thank you to the schools who brought their young people along to meet our volunteers: Fulham Cross Girls’ School, Ealing Fields High School, William Perkin CofE High School, Chiswick School, Villiers High School, St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, Hendon School, The Ellen Wilkinson For Girls, Northwood School, West Thames College, Northolt High School, The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and The Douay Martyrs School.
Thank you to the volunteers who made the event such a success and their organisations who supported them to do so: Amazon, Arup, BEIS, Belazu, BELU, Brompton Bikes, Ceres Power, COWI, Eden Project, IEMA, Ingleton Wood, Laing O’Rourke, Mace, MITIE, Royal Horticulture Society, Statkraft, The Institute of the Motor Industry, Vestey Holdings Food.
If you’d like to get involved, please sign up today:
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