Schools come together to celebrate year one of Schools’ Good Life Charter
On Tuesday June 6th, schools from the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham came together with community partners, supporters, and Global Action Plan to celebrate year one of the Schools’ Good Life Charter programme.
Through this National Lottery Climate Action Fund enabled programme, students from five Secondary schools have worked with Global Action Plan to learn about, and take action, on the impact consumerism is having on the environment and young people’s mental health.
The event was held at Fulham Cross Girls School, and attended by students from the other participating schools, Ark Burlington Danes Academy, Fulham Boys School, Fulham Cross Academy, and Hammersmith Academy.
Following introductions by Global Action Plan’s Claire Arnott and Morgan Phillips, a welcome speech from Sally Brooks, Executive Head of Fulham Cross Academy Trust, and a sneak preview of our forthcoming Schools Good Life Charter film, students from each school were invited on stage to talk about their project work.
Students and guests then had the opportunity to meet each other and find out more about the project work that is underway in each school. During a 45-minute marketplace session, students shared their Good Life Charter – a statement outlining their school’s commitment to the wellbeing of the school community and the environment – and details of the work being taken to turn charter into action.
With help from Global Action Plan and the Hammersmith and Fulham Climate Alliance, schools have linked up with local community groups, NGOs and businesses. Through visits and field trips, the student teams have learned how to tackle issues like food waste, cycle maintenance, shoe repair, and excessive meat consumption.
To close the event, we heard from two fantastic guest speakers, Dr. Peter Sutoris, assistant professor at University of York and author of Educating for the Anthropocene, and Councillor Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
Dr Sutoris reflected on the impact Schools Good Life Charter is having on the young people involved, stressing how it is helping them find their voice, and gain an understanding of how change happens. He also led a round of applause in recognition of the role the teachers have played in facilitating the transformative learning that is happening through this project.
Cllr Cowan considered how the project is helping young people to discover what the ‘good life’ truly is. He reflected on how:
‘a lot of the way society is structured is to give you a sugar rush of consumerism where the more you consume, the more you should supposedly be happy.’
He reminded the audience however, that consumerism is ‘like any sugar rush, it disappears. There’s no real substance to it.’ In wrapping up he highlighted the essence of the Schools’ Good Life Charter, recognising that it is not just about the environment, it is about supporting young people to assess what a good life is and how important it is to ask that question when living in a world that is ‘changing faster than it's ever changed before.’
Schools Good Life Charter moves into phase two in the 2023/24 academic year, a wider cohort of schools across West London will join in. The five original, pilot, schools will continue their work, while acting as mentors for the new schools as they start their ‘good life’ journey.
Looking further ahead, Global Action Plan is aiming to build on this exciting research and development phase to create a national (potentially international) scale ‘Good Life Schools’ programme for schools to adopt as they seek to enable students to tackle both eco anxiety and status anxiety.
Global Action Plan would like to thank the National Lottery Climate Action Fund for supporting the Schools Good Life Charter project, and all the schools, community groups, organisations, and networks who have helped to make year one of this project such a success.
Our thanks and appreciation go to:
- Ark Burlington Danes Academy
- Fulham Boys School
- Fulham Cross Academy
- Fulham Cross Girls Schools
- Hammersmith Academy
- National Lottery Climate Action Fund
- West London Partnership
- Hammersmith and Fulham Council
- Nourish Hub
- B&Q
- QPR in the Community Trust
- Repowering London
- Groundwork
- LifeKind
- W12
- New U
- Team Repair
- Glimpse
- Bikeability
- Oma Bikes
- National Education Union
- Onwards & Upwards
Finally, thank you to our speakers on the day:
Sally Brooks,
Dr. Peter Sutoris
Cllr. Stephan Cowan
And to the staff and students at Fulham Cross Girls Schools for hosting and helping ensure we ran a truly inspiring celebration event.