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The Importance of Engaging Young People in Our Water Resources & Sustainability
Our climate is changing rapidly, more frequent and severe weather events are putting a strain on our natural resources through increased flood and drought risk. We need now more than ever to tackle and get ahead of these issues in a sustainable way. Engaging young people in water resource related issues and sustainability is vital for securing the next generation of innovators and leaders in the industry. As this is a complex problem that will take multiple stages to fix, educating the young people of today will ensure there is a future talent pool to inspire future generations.
- waterindustry
- sustainability
- engagement
Why it's important
Fresh Ideas
Young people frequently have new and inventive ideas to problems we encounter. Often being born surrounded by technologies gives them an advantage of understanding it on a deeper level, and how they can advance it for our own good.
Workforce Gap
Predictions state there will be 63,000 vacancies in the water industry that need filling within the next decade. This figure is even more pressing when we see that only 1% of university graduates are entering the energy and utilities sector, and even less of these specifically entering the water industry. Engaging young people on water and water issues is important to secure a pipeline of future workers in the industry.
Long Term Issues
Many of the issues we face in the industry are multi staged and will not be fixed overnight. This is why we need to have passionate innovators and problem solvers in from the beginning to tackle the issues we face. With an aging workforce in the water industry, we need young workers who will spend years in tackling and hopefully solving current issues, and issues we have yet to come across.
Strategies for Engaging Young People
Educational Programs: Schools and universities should integrate water-related topics into their curricula. Programs that focus on environmental science, water management, and sustainability can spark interest and provide foundational knowledge. Programmes such as SUDS for schools are important because they not only teach young people the foundational knowledge but also give them hands on learning which can really help cement their interest in the topic.
Youth-Focused Campaigns and Workshops: Organise workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns specifically targeted at young people. These events can highlight the importance of water conservation and encourage youth to participate in sustainability initiatives. Working in collaboration with Blue Heart Project, we have successfully run sustainable urban drainage programmes (SuDS for Schools) in Eastbourne schools (more on this below)! This ongoing initiative highlights the importance of engaging and educating children through their involvement in the design of SuDS installations.
Use of Social Media and Digital Platforms: Leverage social media to engage youth. Digital platforms can be used to share information, create interactive content, and organise virtual events that discuss water sustainability issues. The younger generation use social media more so than the older generation therefore it's important we stay relevant on trends to ensure they are being reached.
Youth Leadership Programs: Establish programs that cultivate leadership skills in young people. Initiatives like the Global Water Partnership's Water Academy for Youth provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and training to develop future leaders in water management.
SUDS for Schools
'SuDS for Schools' projects emerge as a pioneering initiative with the dual purpose of promoting rainwater management practices and actively involving school students in contributing to these solutions. These projects are designed to encourage and promote responsible rainwater management, leveraging collaboration among schools, communities, and local organisations to create sustainable solutions.
In our most recent project in partnership with the Blue Heart Project, Our Rainwater has worked with students from multiple Eastbourne schools to transform how they interact with and manage rainwater. These projects, funded by the Department of Education, provide a hands-on, educational experience that not only enhances students' understanding of rainwater but also equips schools with practical systems to mitigate surface water flooding both on school grounds and in the surrounding community. These projects allow the children to take part in hands on activities whilst also collecting and interpreting data.
Schools are perfect for this scheme due to the size of the buildings capturing more rainwater than a residential building and it allows children to be involved in the design and decision making at their school, empowering them to improve their spaces.
Engaging Students through Educational Resources
To further engage learners in the SuDS installation process, educational resources and lessons were provided to schools. Encouraging students to get outside and gain a deeper understanding of how the SuDS would physically interact with their school. This included a series of activities, supporting different learning styles and skill sets with an element of competition. Trivia and quizzes surrounding water, rainfall in the UK and Eastbourne helped provide context around water consumption and rainfall levels throughout the country.
Successful Workshops in Schools
In 2023, we ran successful SuDS for Schools workshops in collaboration with the Blue Heart Project in Eastbourne delivered by our fantastic education consultant Nick Couzens.
The project worked in collaboration with seven schools educating the children on flood prevention and other STEM topics. Once the children were introduced to the topic and the themes, they were asked to design the SUDS systems that would be fitted to their schools, looping them into the decision making which is vital to ensure their interest and understanding of the topic.
Through a series of outdoor stations, students got hands on with a variety of activities that supported self-led play, investigation and creativity. This immersive experience led to highly engaged classes and lovely feedback from students and staff:
- Best. Day. Ever!” - a group of year 5 children
- It was brilliant working with Nick and the students on the project. Nick really engaged with the variety of students using differing techniques to support them and get the best from each one. The students took part willingly in all activities and really had fun with the practical elements. Students in the second group enjoyed finding out facts about the local area and how the landscape has changed." - Eastbourne Academy
Installing Sustainable Drainage Systems
In collaboration with Meristem, these schools are being retrofitted with SuDS systems, incorporating students work and designs. We are excited to see how this evolves in the coming months! Not only will this benefit provide inspiration to students, but the flow of water will be slowed, helping to combat surface water flooding.
We're also in the process of developing more engaging learning resources for schools and students. These will soon be available to download via the Our Rainwater website!
About Blue Heart
Blue Heart is funded by Defra, as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes, which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
If you're a parent at a school, a local counsellor or even a resident. You can make an impact and sign up to these schemes. Please get in touch here.