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(Photo credit Steve Haywood)
It's the end of the academic year and we are looking back over the last twelve months. We are three years in now and we still get the 'buzz' moments - when we can't believe that this is our job and Planet and People is still going! We get them in meetings when an idea comes together, or on car journeys to a workshop or event when we're catching up and being friends as well as business partners. However, we predominantly get them when we interact and connect with young people or businesses who want to make steps forward in creating a better future for planet and people. What's not to love about that?!
Here are some extracts from our Impact Report for 2022/2023:
Planet Action Workshops (our work in schools):
This year we have established consistent provision of workshops (15 per term) through re-visiting schools and creating new contacts. We have now delivered our workshops to over 8000 students across the South West. The Devon and Cornwall Schools Sustainability Network was launched in January and now has six committed schools who meet half termly to share ideas on sustainable actions to take in school. We have piloted training and delivering workshops with a wider team and had three additional temporary staff which helped us diversify our team in terms of demographics and skill sets.
Sustainable Foundations (our work with SMEs and community groups):
This year we piloted and launched our support package for SMEs and community groups. We partnered with Jo Styles from the University of the West of England to embed design thinking into our content. We conducted our pilot with three businesses and made subsequent changes to the Sustainable Foundations programme. Since launching, we have secured our first two paying clients and have networked widely within the local SME community (business networking events, local council, social enterprise networks etc.) The income from this is beginning to take over from fundraising in covering the cost of our work in schools (which continues to be free for schools).
Our contract work has enabled us to fund our schools work and also make further connections with other local initiatives striving to achieve similar aims. These include:
Connecting schools and farms through an instructional booklet and training for farmers through East Devon AONB
Creating educational support material for the Wild Isles documentary commissioned by WWF
Writing a booklet for schools across all four key stages with support material and practical projects for the Net Zero Visions work commissioned by the University of Plymouth and Devon County Council (we are now delivering these projects to 10 schools across Devon)
Delivering climate change education to Above Bounds Theatre Company staff
What people are saying about us:
Planet Action Workshops:
"The focus on hope when considering our environment is really powerful and very welcome against what can potentially be quite a depressing topic to cover."
Sustainable Foundations:
"Personable and friendly approach enables simple and authentic conversations backed up by valuable expertise and knowledge"
Contract work:
"I experienced a mixture of emotions about the subject but felt very empowered afterwards and keen to put what we had learnt into practice. Felt more confident about some of the things we are already doing and how we might be clearer on our strategies moving forwards."
THANK YOU to everyone who has worked with us, helped us along and shared in our vision this year!