Walk to School Conference: Alex Wood

How to engage with teenagers,
Alex Wood, People and Planet

One of the themes of the second session of the day was communicating with teenagers. People and Planet is a student led group in Universities and Sixth Forms which campaigns on ending world poverty, defending human rights, and protecting the environment.

Alex is an intern at People and Planet and spends a lot of time visiting schools and colleges to deliver workshops and support their campaigns.

Much of Alex's presentation was on how P&P engages with the groups it works with. They have a very student led and consensual way of doing things (the delegate sat next to me suggested that maybe more councils should work this way!). In particular they see teachers as facilitators rather than as leaders.

I was also rather taken by their active agreement idea - rather than agree by applauding, they wave their hands in the air for agreement, and wave them towards the ground to disagree. That way everyone's opinion can be heard (it sounds rather like the thumbs up/thumbs down in gladiators to me!).

People and Planet have two important things which I want to bring to the secondary school campaign. They have extensive experience of youth led campaigning, and they have a network of school activist groups already out there and interested in campaigning!

Over the next few months I will be working with Alex to help them create transport related campaign briefings, and perhaps also to share the names of their 6th form groups with the local school travel advisors.