Young people gather to discuss climate education
06 March 2026
More than 60 young people and adults with a passion for environmental education gathered today for our Youth Climate Event.
A full day of discussion took place at Strathclyde University’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow, split into three sessions: Getting to know each other; Getting stuff done; and Getting your voices heard.
The first session gave the attendees a chance to share stories and successes with the room, passing insights, breakthroughs and obstacles when it comes to environmental action at a youth level.
A variety of experts and government officials then held small circle chats for the young people to discuss the issues they want to see action on or ask for advice on projects they’re working on, with input from representatives of the Scottish Government, Zero Waste Scotland, the Woodland Trust and Glasgow University’s Sustainability Team.
The day finished with our final session which gave young people a chance to tell us how they would like to share their ideas and opinions on environmental issues with those in power. The output of this session will be an action plan for us to take forward to amplify youth voice.
Great discussions took place on topics including Learning for Sustainability, taking sustainability beyond school, looking after nature, climate action and sustainable transport and reducing waste.
Local authorities and schools were also able to share their work and achievements with others and talk through any issues they’ve had and how to overcome them.
Andrea Gabriel, our Education Manager, said: “We had a fantastic day with so much engagement and enthusiasm from all the young people in the room. Their passion and desire for positive environmental action was clear throughout the day.
“Ahead of the Scottish Parliament Elections we are calling for the next Scottish Parliament to continue to show leadership and ensure that climate education in schools is embedded as a priority so that our educators, children and young people feel equipped to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
“What today has shown is that our desire is more than matched by our country’s young people. They have a desire for climate and environmental action and leadership and we’re ready to continue delivering climate education at scale across all educational settings.”
Climate Action Schools initiatives and programmes, including Eco-Schools, are funded by the Scottish Government and are a positive driver and demonstrator for schools towards achieving Target 2030.
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