School is where all young people meet almost daily for ten years

in a safe, well equipped space, with support on demand, good public status, access to hundreds of peers and parents. It is an excellent setting for young changemakers to live their values with rich benefits for the whole school community.

The idea is not to turn us into your kind of adults. But into better adults than you have been.

Adora Svitak, TED age 12

Teachers are young people’s greatest allies. they decide if we get a chance to learn to create a good world, or not.

Craig Kielburger, WE

Examples

Craig, 12

formed a student club to liberate children from forced labor that spawned clubs at 16,000 schools

Watershed Warriors, 12

restored as watershed as biology class project, designed a state standard curriculum and teach it at five schools

Cassandra,10

formed a student club to recycle used oils to biofuel. 200 restaurants joined the program, and her crew donated $200,000€ worth of fuel to people in need

Namaste Nepal, 14

raise funds to develop a valley in the Himalaya with libraries, schools, greenhouses, work visits … other schools join in

Chloe (Falkenheim), 13

formed a Vegan Club at her school, soon had clubs at 25 schools and funds to help them run programs

Hannah, 13

started a second hand cabinet at school for students from financially troubled families to equip themselves in dignity

Mackenzie, 17

ends poison use on campus by teaming up greenkeepers with students handpicking weeds, at now dozens of campuses

Allison, 16

was fed up with students suffering depression, suicide and adults doing nothing. Her student movement breaks the silence on mental health with ripple effects in school, lives, community and institutions

Club members do good for people and planet, practice multi-platform peer-to-peer learning, acquire many skills and build meaningful relations with people of diverse professions. They educate, involve and mentor peers, collaborate with teachers, involve parents and citizenry, which makes them a strong, and maybe the most powerful stakeholder in learning and living ESD and SDGs in action.

Changemaker Student Clubs