Funding to Funky Dragon to engage with young people on sustainable development and climate change issues

3 April 2012

Statement of information / Datganiad gwybodaeth:

The Welsh Government has a legal duty to place the promotion of sustainable development at the heart of its work.  The SD Scheme for Wales, “One Wales, One Planet” sets out how this will be done. The Climate Change Strategy for Wales is a key part of ensuring a sustainable future for Wales, in dealing with what we believe is the most urgent consequence of unsustainable living.  The Strategy will need the support and engagement of everyone in Wales to achieve the emission reductions which the science demands.

Engaging with young people is a very important part of this work.  Young people will be living in the world created by the decisions made today, and have a right to be involved in these decisions.  They also should have the opportunity to get involved in understanding the issues of sustainable development and climate change, in order that they can make informed decisions about the way they live now and in the future.

In 2011-12, the Welsh Government has provided grant funding to Funky Dragon, the Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales, to trial a new approach to engaging with young people on sustainable development and climate change issues.

The key activities during this period included:

• Sustainable Development and Climate Change steering group: Through the Grand Council a steering group of 10 young people have met up at each residential to monitor the work that the staff have been doing.  Their work throughout the year has included approving the national research questionnaire, recruiting the new South Wales Development Worker and they have recently been involved in the climate change event organised with Keep Wales Tidy. Two members of the steering group have regularly attended meetings of the Climate Change Commission for Wales.

• Local Action Projects: short term projects focusing on different sustainable development and climate change issues have been run in each local authority. Projects have included Ogmore Vale Primary School’s ‘Climate Chicks’ project which looked at what people can do to reduce their carbon footprint, and Bryn Teg Youth Club in Blaenau Gwent which carried out a research project that looked at wellbeing and their community.

• National research project: Funky Dragon developed a questionnaire about sustainable development and climate change issues to gather young people’s views on these issues.

Funky Dragon have developed a Business Plan for 2012-15 with the following themes:  

The key elements of the Business Plan are as follows:

• Sustainable Development and Climate Change Steering group: This will continue to meet at residential events and steer the work of the project. This group will include the Environment and Sustainable Development Co-Chairs and the young people who sit on the Climate Change Commission for Wales.

• Local Projects: 18 community projects per year will be run, involving youth groups and schools and focusing on a wide range of sustainable development and climate change issues. These projects will also build links with interested groups in their local communities and also with local decision makers such as Assembly Members and Local Councilors.

• National Research: Each year the national research project will be linked to themes that will be useful for the development of Welsh Government policy and projects. In the first year of the Business Plan this will focus on getting the views of young people on the Welsh Government Sustainable Development Bill.

This submission is asked the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development to agree funding to deliver the elements of this plan relevant to 2012-13.

The relevant legal power is Section 70 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.  This is a power of the Welsh Ministers to provide funding to people in support of their objectives for Wales.