Schools Good Life Charter
The Schools Good Life Charter supported young people in Hammersmith & Fulham to lead projects challenging consumerist lifestyles – and inspired the Good Life Schools programme
The conversations we are having are deeper than just 'adverts are bad' or 'plastic is bad'. I feel like I am actually doing something to help stop consumerism taking over.
High Storrs Student
It showed our students that even if you start with no knowledge and no skills, you can start trying things and get your confidence up, and maybe eventually achieve something amazing.
Josef Situ, Science Teacher, William Morris Sixth Form
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Find out more about Good Life Schools, the follow up the Schools Good Life Charter
Student-led projects now active in Hammersmith and Fulham as a result of the Schools’ Good Life Charter Project
The vision that guides Global Action Plan’s education work is that of an education system that empowers young people to create a compassionate and sustainable society. It’s our goal that by 2030, every child leaves school prepared to act collectively for the good of people and planet.
The Schools’ Good Life Charter supports secondary school students to reflect on what makes a good life and create a charter to help their whole school community lead happier, more sustainable lives.
Excessive consumption makes children feel inadequate, judged and unhappy – and is a major contributor to the climate and nature crisis. This pilot project designed, tested and shared a replicable model for schools to become community beacons of low consumption and high wellbeing, working with five schools in Hammersmith and Fulham, London.
The Schools’ Good Life Charter was run by Global Action Plan, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, and supported by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the West London Partnership.
8,000+
young people, teachers and family members reached through student-led activities
24
community partners directly supporting young people
70%
of students likely to start a conversation with their family about consumption and waste
88%
of students want to continue their Schools' Good Life Charter journey
From consumption cultures to compassionate communities
A group of mixed-age secondary students at five secondary schools in Hammersmith and Fulham took part in four workshops to help them develop a Good Life Charter – a set of published commitments – for their school. With our guidance, the students explored the harms of pressures to overconsume, co-created ideas for change, developed a plan of action, and reflected on and shared their journey.
The schools made 20 commitments to making a long-term change within the school to reduce consumption and improve wellbeing, ranging from reducing single use plastic to sustainable food production to fashion swap shops.
Led by the students’ ideas for change, we identified local community organisations and business groups that could support and upskill young people.
With the support of 24 community partners, students led activities in each school to implement the Charter commitments, engaging over 3,000 students and staff and over 5,000 family members in practical action to reduce consumption and conversations around the pressures to consume. Teachers were supported throughout the journey through monthly 1:1 meetings and two teacher training sessions.
Many 14-year olds are seeing up to 1,260 adverts a day on social media alone. Consumerism is so much a part of our daily life that we don't even notice it. The Schools Good Life Charter supports young people to reflect on what makes a good life, and create a charter to help their whole school community to lead happier, more sustainable lives.
The Schools’ Good Life Charter has enabled us to go the extra mile to make positive change. It really has allowed our young people to make a difference.
Sally Brooks, Executive Principal, Fulham Cross Academy Trust
We’ve created such good relationships with other organisations in the community, and our young people benefit so much from the projects that they come up with, they develop, and they work on.
Olivia Petri, Modern Languages Teacher, Ark Burlington Danes Academy
The Schools’ Good Life Charter was run by Global Action Plan, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, and supported by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the West London Partnership.
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