Children from across Derby have joined a special event to explore climate action. Derby City Council and partners from Team Derby held the first Derby Promise Festival of Ideas for pupils from the city’s primary and secondary schools.
The event on 12 November, timed to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29, gave young people the opportunity to experience a range of activities linked to climate action, green careers and opportunities across Derby relating to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths).
The Festival of Ideas was the latest in a series of events for young people held as part of the Derby Promise. It’s a pledge by Derby City Council and its partners to expand opportunities, raise aspirations and place a spotlight on the future world of work for the next generation, by providing meaningful opportunities for children, young people and adults, from primary school right through to further and adult education.
Schools were invited to a day of interactive workshops with industry experts, to support them in developing their own climate change action plans. Primary school pupils took part in hands-on activities at the Council House, while secondary school students were invited to dive deeper into climate issues at Pride Park Stadium, where there was also a marketplace of stands hosted by industry leaders presenting their ideas, projects and access to green careers.
The aim of the festival was to empower our young people to broaden their horizons, think differently and consider how we make Derby a cleaner and greener city for the future.
Children were asked ‘big questions’ relating to real world challenges, like:
- How could we reduce the amount of energy we use in our schools and homes?
- How can Derby get ready for a warmer, wetter climate?
- How can we encourage more nature in our city?
- What could you do to help the environment now, and when you leave school?
The Festival of Ideas will provide ongoing support, activities, and experiences for pupils, with a celebration of learning taking place during Science Week in March 2025.
Children and young people that attended said they’d had a great day learning and thinking of ideas to take back to school to share and inform their climate action plan. Some were going to share in assemblies, and some were going to form climate groups.
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:
Climate action is clearly something our young people feel strongly about and it was a real pleasure to be involved in the Festival of Ideas.
Our primary children took part in hands-on activities to develop their grasp and understanding of concepts relevant to transforming their schools to meet the challenge of climate change and, for example, making changes to be more supportive to local wildlife in their area.
When we spoke to the children, they were clearly armed with lots of ideas for their schools, but also what they could do in their own homes to meet the climate change challenge. They will go back to their schools more confident to lead the debate and transform ideas into positive change and action.
The Festival of Ideas was just the beginning, and schools will receive ongoing resources and support to help them turn their climate action plans into reality.
Councillor Carmel Swan, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability, added:
It was an honour to attend the Derby Promise Festival of Ideas as the Council, Derby’s young people and our key climate change partners came together to talk about, and act on, climate change.
This was only the start of a conversation that will enable all our schools to create their own climate action plans and help children and young people develop their skills and knowledge for a greener future.
The Derby Promise has a calendar of events planned across key sector skills in Derby, including automotive, rail, AI and construction, and more. It aims to create strengthened pathways between children and young people, the school curriculum and industry, thus creating opportunity, raising aspirations and providing a gateway to the careers of the future.
Partners involved with the Festival of Ideas:
- Environment Agency
- National Education Nature Park
- Rolls-Royce
- University of Derby
- University Hospital Derby and Burton Trust
- Wates Construction
- Vinci Developments
- Derby College Group
- East Midlands Climate Ambassadors Scheme
- Let’s Go Zero
- Balfour Beatty
- Valliant Group
- Circulayo