Teachers and Youth Leaders are invited to the BIG Ideas Challenge launch party at Potter’s Cafe, Durngate Street, Dorchester at 6pm on Wednesday 9th September. The Challenge asks young people aged 7-24 to come up with solutions that help tackle climate change. The Challenge offers: mentoring, seed-funding, and a chance to win an amazing outdoor adventure. All are welcome to the launch to find out more, and to help cut and eat the BIG Ideas cake!
Young people will be asked to plan and implement a project that reduces carbon emissions in the community. They’ll have access to project mentors and experts in the fields of: energy, water, travel, waste, food and clothes, and the best 10 projects will get up to £250 to help get their project started. The Challenge is offered by Communities Living Sustainably in Dorset (CLS), which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund.
Emily Bullock, from CLS, says, “We know young people are full of good ideas, the BIG Ideas Challenge gives them the opportunity to come up with solutions, and then see if they really work! We’ll even be making a film to showcase the best projects and have a live judging / award ceremony to decide on the winning team”.
“Alison Jay, CLS Eco Schools Officer, added, “BIG Ideas works really well with Eco Schools as well as other youth clubs, environment badges and D of E. We’ve got a team of “experts” to support young people in developing and implementing their ideas. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!”
To find out more come along to the launch on Wednesday or go to: https://www.clsdorset.org.uk/BigIdeas.aspx
More info:
- Communities Living Sustainably (CLS) in Dorset is supported by the Big Lottery Fund for a three year period from March 2013. Dorset is one of the Big Lottery Fund’s 12 Communities Living Sustainably (CLS) programmes in England, and is the only such programme in the Southwest.
- CLS in Dorset aims to help people adapt to climate change and to live more sustainably. The project strives to act as a catalyst for action, building on the great work already taking place in the local area and exploring some innovative approaches. The programme is being delivered in Bridport, Dorchester and their surrounding areas.
CLS in Dorset has various interrelated strands of activity related to Greener Choices and Energy Efficiency; Renewable Energy; Local Food; Eco-Schools; Climate Change Adaptation with fishing and farming communities and older people.
CLS in Dorset is a partnership led by Dorset Community Action, and including Dorset AONB, , Dorset County Council, Dorset Coast Forum, Dorset Public Health, Dorset Agenda 21, Transition Town Bridport, Transition Town Dorchester, West Dorset Partnership, and WSX Enterprise Ltd as the core delivery organisations.
- Communities Living Sustainably is part of the Big Lottery Fund’s £50m Sustainable and Resilient Communities strategy, which aims to encourage behaviour change among individuals and communities so they can cope better with the environmental, economic and social impacts of a changing climate. 12 community partnerships of public, private and voluntary sector bodies have been awarded up to £1m each to deliver up to five years of community-led sustainability interventions.
4. Groundwork UK is leading the Communities Living Sustainably Learning Partnership, which also comprises New Economics Foundation (NEF), the Federation for City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG), Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) and the Energy Saving Trust ( EST). Research themes include “understanding change and impact” and “learning how communities learn about sustainability”. www.communitieslivingsustainably.org.uk
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006. Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
