>> Visit the YEP Project Site

Young Energy People

Background

Schools have begun to embrace the national policy in relation to the development of sustainable schools and yet this remains challenging in the face of the restricted amount of time teachers have to invest in the exploration of sustainability issues with their pupils. Much of the work is being undertaken through student led environmental groups and school councils, in the majority of cases the energy topic is one of the least frequently negotiated.

Key Points

Supporting the development of Sustainable Schools

Innovating integration of sustainable energy education into secondary curriculum

Schools and local businesses in cooperation on energy efficiency

Whilst there are many reasons why education for sustainability in energy is not easily implemented this is a missed opportunity for students, teachers and their schools. Particularly in the light of recent educational policy developments that have widened the scope for its delivery and placed emphasis on the development of sustainable schools.

This project places equal priority on the need to fulfill educational policy and standards and to motivate young people to take action against climate change. YEP! takes advantage of the work related learning curriculum as an interesting context to deliver sustainable energy education to students.

Aims

YEP! will work with students to initiate and support sustainable energy practices in schools and businesses to reduce the associated negative effects of energy use. In doing so YEP! will demonstrate to students the application of energy management skills to employment and bring the field of energy related careers into focus for pupils, teachers and workplaces.

Following a successful pilot of project work in schools the following objectives will be met:

Project Activity

The project work, led by SWEA, in eight European regions following a common theme and approach. In Gloucestershire we will work with five schools to develop and pilot a programme of work in which schools and their local businesses cooperate on energy efficiency. The school buildings will be used a case study for pupils to develop skills in energy auditing, basic energy management and initiating an efficiency campaign. Following their training students will be given the opportunity to transfer their skills to a workplace to initiate energy savings there.

Funding

The total cost of the 3 year work is €194,500 (£131 970) and can be freely provided to schools as a result of 50% funding from Energy Intelligent Europe (The European Commission). Match funding has been provided through Gloucestershire County Council and the Severn Trent Recovery Fund.

Partners

YEP is a European partnership co-ordinated by:


Severn Wye Energy Agency, Gloucestershire, UK

Energy Agency of Livorno Province, Italy
Energieberatung Prenzlauer Berg, Germany
Agency Energy Ribera, Spain
Energikontor Sydost, Sweden
Energy Agency of Perugia, Italy
Regional Energy Agency Crete, Greece
Energy Agency of Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Gloucestershire Schools

In consultation with the projects steering committee the following schools have been enlisted in the project work:

Overview of the Project Plan

Project partners are targeted to work with a minimum of five secondary schools and five businesses, although the number of businesses is likely to exceed this in order to accommodate the number of pupils requiring placements.

Project participants will establish a local steering group with representatives of the key actors to inform the local project work. These will include secondary school teachers, educational authorities and business representatives, in addition to representatives identified at a local level with links to the project work (e.g. other environmental educational groups, agencies).

Secondary schools and the steering groups will be formally supporting and contributing to the development of a work programme, led by the project partner, that trains a School Energy Management Team of pupils. Training will include, basic skills of surveying the energy situation and, how a programme of improvements can be instigated on the basis of their observations. The school building and community will be used as a basis for the acquisition of skills that can then be transferred to the workplace.

The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Coordinator

[Rachel]

Rachel Close - Project Manager

[email]rachel
[phone]01594 545369

Related Projects

FEEDU - Power to Change

School Energy Diaries

Prison Energy Project

School Energy Management Teams will be matched with workplaces supporting and informing the project action so that pupils will have the opportunity to visit a place of work and apply their knowledge to a real life context. This increases the general awareness of energy use and efficiency measures for pupils, teachers and workplace staff and has the additional benefit of introducing pupils to the possibilities for future careers in the field of sustainable energy.

The pupil programme will be supported by quality resources developed on the basis of a review of existing good practices. Through the careful evaluation of the project activity these resources will be trialed and assessed to create best practice examples that will be made available to inform future work.

As a result of project activity the following results are expected: