HOW YOUNG PEOPLE ARE HELPING WITH OUR MENTAL HEALTH AND THE PLANET #BeTheChange
Youth Leads UK is a registered charity that empowers Greater Manchester’s young people to reach their full potential and use their voices for change.
As part of our most recent Leadership Programme, a cohort of young people are holding a social action project about issues that affect them and significantly disadvantage future generations. As part of this project, they are creating and distributing 100 free packs containing information and activities to raise awareness of the importance of the issues below.
Environmental issues such as recycling and sustainability, issues with hygiene poverty and neglected mental health are inextricably linked. The packs our young people have designed will include resources and guides on creating DIY cleaning products for those who struggle to afford them or those who want to take steps to be more sustainable. There are also leaflets on recycling and mental health resources to help with mental health and our impact on the planet.
Hifza Ali, 16, said:
“This project is extremely important to raise awareness on the neglected worldly issues and provide education on how we can solve these issues together as a society.”
In addition, these young people have been campaigning to our established network of youth organisations on social media, encouraging them to take action to support the planet and their personal wellbeing. Schools across Greater Manchester have received letters with resources to help them support their communities and lobby decision-makers within the education sector.
Youth Leads’ findings and recommendations will be gathered via a survey taken by all pack-receivers, contributions, schools and the general public of Greater Manchester.
Our young people are dedicated to positively contributing to their communities, and this project is just the beginning of their journey to influencing decision-makers long into the future.
Saeed Atcha, MBE DL, CEO and Founder of Youth Leads UK says: “We know that the climate clock is ticking and that we can all make a difference. We are proud to see young people leading the way in educating others through their #BeTheChange social action project. Their efforts will help us all make small changes to improve the climate and tackle hygiene poverty.
You can fill out the survey, designed with our young people, here. Open until 31/08/22.
This project is kindly supported by Magic Little Grants – a partnership between Localgiving and Postcode Neighbourhood Trust.