Communities of Hope 2023-24

Our Communities of Hope project seeks to create a network of young people from secondary schools across Tower Hamlets to exchange learning, knowledge and understanding about the work that local communities are doing to fight the climate catastrophe in Tower Hamlets and across London. This network will enable them to connect locally, with other young people, local environmental groups and faith groups and communities.  

Through a series of creative in-school workshops, young people will be supported to create and share their voice about how climate change has affected them in their locality and the changes that they would like to create and see. These workshops will also centre the young people’s mental well-being by providing meditative tools to manage climate anxiety. The workshops will lead onto a youth-led, co-produced artistic campaign which will reflect their learning and commitment to climate change. 

We’re kicking off with a one-day event taking place in November 2023 during interfaith week. The event will serve as a catalyst to connect young people to local Tower Hamlets climate change projects, be inspired by the work happening and contribute their ideas in response to the climate emergency.  

Supported by a local artist and Global Learning London facilitator, young people will also participate in creating a collaborative art piece. This art piece will exhibit in Tower Hamlets schools, faith, and community spaces over the course of the year to raise awareness across Tower Hamlets of how global values and faith are key to inspire communities to fight climate change.    

We will support the development of local youth voices that ‘think global, act local’, and connect them to local networks.  Part of our vision is to develop greater community cohesion by connecting young people to climate organisations in their locality, with whom they can work to act in the future. Our hope is to encourage future leaders who are inclusive and intentional about their approach to tackling climate change. 

This project is aimed at Year 7 or Year 8.

Objectives   

• Young people in Tower Hamlets to have the agency, tools, and space to lead on discussions about climate change and the role of faith and global values.   
• Young people to be connected to environmental organisations and faith and community groups leading on climate change projects.   
• Residents of Tower Hamlets to engage with exhibition and learning through their faith spaces and schools.   

  

What to Expect 

1. One day event: A series of interactive talks and workshops. More details to be shared soon. 
2. In-school workshops: 3 creative workshops for young people, facilitated by GLL and a locally based community artist. This will be a space and opportunity for young people to actively engage with their learning from the conference, reflect on their experiences in Tower Hamlets in terms of the impact of climate change in their locality and how faith communities are tackling climate change. These creative workshops will also centre young people’s mental wellbeing to provide tools to support climate anxiety.    
3. Youth-led local campaigns:  The young people’s artistic output will be shared online via local Tower Hamlets connections. 
4. CPD Training: As a result of the project, a lesson plan will be created and then a CPD delivered to support teachers to use the lesson plan in schools. 

 

Timeline 

• November 2023: Conference during interfaith week  
• December – March 2024: Mobile exhibition from conference to travel to faith centres, local organisations and schools  
• March – April 2024: 3 Workshops in schools  
• April 2024: CPD with teachers 

 The Sessions

Working with an East London artist, the three sessions will take young people through the journey of compiling, designing and illustrating a zine. This will include researched examples of local community and faith groups working on climate issues in Tower Hamlets.

They’ll learn:

• The basics of design principles: thinking about colours, shapes and layout
• Introduction to continuous line drawing and illustration
• How to layout a zine
• Research skills

The aim is for these skills to be easily transferable and useful for presentations and project-work for other subject lessons.

 

Are you a school in Tower Hamlets and would like to sign up to be a part of Communities of Hope? Register your interest by 18 October 2023.

Please note that we have limited capacity on this occasion and will be selecting schools that have been chosen, and we will be confirming this by mid October 2023 

 

Hear more about our Communities of Hope Project: