The UN climate report’s recent release states, “There is a rapid closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.” Education becomes a central factor in working towards sustainable development. We need to go further and faster to implement core concepts about sustainability, sustainable development, climate, circular economy, green politics, etc., in teachers and educators to prepare and empower young people as global citizens with a set of competencies that will allow them to act.

Wellington College students have been embracing the concepts of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to feel empowered to be part of the efforts to transition to a low-emission, climate-resilient world. To achieve this as an institution we adopted the SEEd Young Changemakers programme, which has helped us to develop a series of student and educator-led initiatives that now are a source of inspiration for our Wellington College education provision internationally and nationally.

The SEEd’s Young Changemakers Programme focuses on learning and developing a sense of agency, is not a competition, and can engage any student. The reflections back from students have shown how transformative it has been in both deepening their understanding of sustainability and how they can help.