Meet the climate change champions making a difference

Earth day is an annual celebration to raise awareness about environmental issues and inspire action to protect our planet. This year we caught up with Amy Bray, the founder of Another Way, a youth-led charity empowering people to live with kindness towards the planet, and DofE participant Reuben. They tell us what inspires them to care for our planet, how we can do our part, and how to make caring for the environment a part of your DofE programme.

First up we hear from charity founder Amy:

I have always loved the natural world and especially our ocean. All my life I have wanted to be a marine biologist and when I learned about all the threats our ocean is facing, I was frightened that what I wanted to study would no longer be here when I grew up to do so.

I started writing articles about marine conservation, phoning companies to petition them to change their unsustainable ways and writing to my MP about policy issues. A few years later, I challenged my own family to go plastic free. It was by doing something individually to change my own way of life that I realised how important it is for us all to take responsibility for our future.

Amy’s advice for taking care of the planet

In my own school, I started a marine conservation campaign called Devotion to Ocean. I was giving talks, meeting with the management team to reduce plastic waste and running an eco-shop for charity.

I started giving talks and awareness sessions to other schools and community groups, which helped me realise that I was not alone. There are so many different schools and individuals and organisations striving for good.

My advice for young people is to start with small steps in your own life, such as reducing the amount of single-use plastic you buy, buying second hand clothes or eating more plant-based food. Then progress to starting a campaign in your own school or working with an existing eco group.

If you find that you are getting stressed or upset over your work, then pause and try another project or another way of bringing about change. Find something that feels right for you- whether that is attending school strikes, making your school single-use plastic-free, running community events or giving talks to inspire people to live more eco-friendly lifestyles.

Spend time in nature and outdoors to appreciate what we are fighting for. Remember you are never alone.

Get involved in fighting climate change

I founded Another Way in 2019, at the age of 16, to help people live with kindness towards our planet. Since then, we have inspired over 14,000 people to take climate and nature action.

Our Power of 10 movement has created a community of 600 young people taking planet-positive action in their communities. Young people can get involved in Power of 10 through their DofE Volunteering, by becoming a regional rep, helping us to create new resources for other young people, starting your own campaigns, projects and events and attending monthly calls.

It is an awesome opportunity to make a difference to the planet, learn new skills and meet new friends!

Reuben’s journey with Another Way

I’m currently doing my bronze DofE with Power of 10 being my volunteering for 6 months.

I ended up getting involved with Another Way because I was reading through DofE’s list of charities to get involved in, as our school’s deadline for submission of our DofE plans was approaching. Reading through the document I found Power of 10.

It was available to my age group and I’m very passionate about the environment, as I think it is such a widespread severe issue affecting all life on our planet, so I immediately knew that this would be the one for me! This was backed up when I looked at the introductory video on Power of 10’s home page.

So far, what I have enjoyed most with this programme is the opportunity to do research and read up on Circular Economy, and a local business I know of supporting this. I then enjoyed writing it up into an educational poster. I found it really interesting and informative to find out about, and thought it was good advice for me and everyone else to follow. However, I think that next school term, my answer would be different, as I have just finished the slow part of setting up a school eco club, so it should be up and running next term.

The skills I’ve picked up along the way have proven very valuable to me. Creating a poster has allowed me to refine my researching skills, and writing skills, as well as teaching me new things. I also think that my organisation of the eco club has provided me with key communication and coordination skills, and will provide me with leadership and teamwork skills once the club starts. These are valuable for managing or organising anything in later life, which I’m sure I would be doing a lot, especially as I have a passion for helping people through volunteering.

Find out more about how you can theme your DofE programme around combatting climate change.