The Young Essex Assembly (YEA), the elected youth council for Essex, and members of ESCAN recently met at County Hall, Chelmsford. The youngsters learnt about climate change and workshopped a Young Person’s Climate Advice Pack.
The workshop was led by the Essex Environment and Climate Action team and the Essex Youth Service, supported by the Essex Year of Opportunity.
The Essex Year of Opportunity is a £1.33 million campaign for 2026. Through projects and partnerships with organisations, it removes barriers into work and education for all ages by teaching essential skills.
The young people had the opportunity to meet and discuss career paths with a variety of officers working in climate and environment. This was an example of the governments new modern work experience expectations rolling out from September 2026.
The group of around 30 young people from around the county heard from experts about the key issues in the climate and the advice packs. Later, they discussed how they could develop and promote the advice packs to young people in their local areas.
Supporting the initiative, Councillor Tony Ball, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “It is wonderful that our Young Essex Assembly members are so engaged with climate issues, not just in the county but nationally and globally.”
Councillor Peter Schwier, Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling at Essex County Council, added: “I applaud our Young Essex Assembly and ESCAN for coming together and holding serious discussions about one of the biggest issues we face. The Young Person’s Climate Advice Pack is designed to connect with younger generations, whose support we will surely need for a better environment.”
The event inspired lots of young people to engage with climate issues. Some took the opportunity to arrange further work experience opportunities.
Zander from Billericay said: “Before today I didn’t really know that much about the environment and how it helps communities. I now know more about how human behaviour impacts the environment.”
Emily, 18 from Chelmsford said: “I have learnt that young people do have a say in the community and climate change. We are working on solutions for how we can help. But, we do need less talk and more action. Today was very interesting hearing from a wide variety of people helping in our local community.”
Rafaro, 17 from Colchester said: “I’ve seen real value in young people coming together and being able to voice their ideas when it comes to decision making and influencing the decisions on the environment that impact them. I am interested in working in the green sector, in a consultancy, or in a think tank to address the local, national and global issues about climate change.”
The young people will be coming together again at the end of April in Colchester Zoo to finish developing the advice pack and to meet some other people working in the field (and the zoo).
