Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Sustainability Student Leadership Academy with Unloc
Finalist, Next Generation Learning and Skills
About
The Sustainability Student Leadership Academy at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group is a pioneering sustainability programme in collaboration with Unloc, a not-for-profit organisation that helps young people become changemakers. The Academy takes place through bootcamp sessions throughout the academic year aimed at developing participants’ sustainability and carbon literacy knowledge, whilst empowering them to lead and project manage sustainability initiatives in and around the college and its local communities.
Top 3 learnings
1. Our College students and young people aren’t just ‘interested’ in sustainability, but they’re very passionate about it and want to be advocates for their futures and the climate’s.
2. The Student Climate Leadership Programme is an amazing, successful initiative that has not only helped our students and college become more sustainability-aware but has also enabled them to develop key skills that will help towards their futures.
3. The next cohort needs an even higher diversity of students involved to ensure good representation and even higher success rates e.g. more students from different levels and curriculum areas.
What it would mean to win
At the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, we have been on our sustainability journey for many years and are now beginning to see the real impact of what we have built. We are incredibly proud of the initiatives we have developed, and it is clear that sustainability is now embedded at the heart of everything we do. It is particularly rewarding to see our students leading these initiatives, and to witness the scale of their impact - not only within our Group, but across the wider Further Education sector. The passion and commitment shown by both our students and staff is inspiring, and seeing the tangible difference they are making in response to climate change is hugely motivating. Winning a Green Gown Award would reinforce that we are on the right path and provide valuable recognition of the progress we have made. Whilst there is still more to do, such recognition would further energise and inspire us to continue driving forward our sustainability ambitions.
SDGs
13. Climate action
| 2026 | |
| Next Generation Learning and Skills | |
| Finalist, UK and Ireland |
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Green Gown Award Regions
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