Could you become a Groundwork Green Leader?

Community charity Groundwork is searching for the next cohort of young activists in Oldham to become ‘Green Leaders’ and advocate for local environmental improvements in their local community.

Groundwork Green Leaders works with passionate young people who want to make a transformation in their local area but need extra support to make it reality.

The free programme offers young people a mentor and hands-on support for them to design, create and start campaigns, events and action groups that improve the local environment, including greenspace projects.

Green Leaders is designed to support young people to become advocates for change in their community all while building the confidence, knowledge, and skills that lead to positive social action.

The programme is currently been run across Greater Manchester for young people aged 16-20.

Those who are chosen to be a part of the programme will be part of a group of a select 40 young people who share your passion for environmental action.

Green Leaders has been made possible by a grant of £69,990 from the Co-op Foundation’s #iwill Fund and is being run across Greater Manchester, Northamptonshire, London, and the West Midlands.

Given the current Covid-19 restrictions, Green Leaders will be run online in the initial stages including mentoring support to kick-start their project, covering project design, public speaking, and media training all of which are designed to equip young people with the tools they need to advocate for change.

The #iwill Fund is a £50 million joint investment from the National Lottery Community Fund, using National Lottery funding, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.

The Co-op Foundation acts as a match funder.

Co-op Foundation has already awarded over £3m in grants since it first partnered with the #iwill Fund in 2017.

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s national chief executive, said: “This is a great opportunity for young people who have a flair and passion for local social action to be supported to make real change in their local community.

"While the programme will be run differently due to the current climate, we are confident that the programme can offer young people a great opportunity to learn skills and build confidence to lead community projects that matter to them.”

Applications are now open, and will be until Sunday, March 21, 2021.

To find out more, please visit the website: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/green-leaders/

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