To underline our commitment to meet our ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, and as part of our education programme; we’re proud to have sponsored Learning@The Grange, in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The project aims to amplify the voices of 250 young people in Hampshire to express their hopes and vision for a sustainable future.
Over the summer, ten schools and educational institutions in Hampshire, including Byron Primary, one of our partner schools, took part in a project called 'Future Visions'.
The young people attended interactive workshops, which focused on climate change and the steps countries and individuals need to take to drive sustainable change.
Workshops were guided by WWF, and the groups were encouraged to look at different issues facing global landscapes from the Amazon rain forest and wetlands of South America to our Ancient Woodlands here in the UK.
In response, the groups composed music and choreographed dance performances, which were produced into a collection of short films. It’s hoped that the project will be shown on a number of global platforms, including COP 26 to drive conversations about how to sustain life on Earth.
COP 26 is vital importance this year - Not just because it got cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, but also because it is now absolutely clear that accelerating proactive efforts to combat climate change is an urgent priority.
The collection of films will be launched on Wednesday 29 September at the Grange Festival theatre to an audience of young people, teachers, educationalists, and environmentalists. Following this, the videos will become available on this web page.
The Project in Action
Social Impact Manager, Cathy Prior and Videographer Ash Symes from our Vanquis office, went to visit Bryon Primary, one of our partner schools to visit and film a new climate change project in action - Take a look at the video below to learn more about the workshops and what the children from Bryon Primary thought about learning about the environment in a creative setting.
Malcolm Le May, Chief Executive Officer commented: “Making a proactive effort to combat climate change is an urgent priority. At Vanquis Banking Group, we know that it will be our children, and our children’s children, that will be disproportionately impacted by climate change if we stand still and do nothing. We also know that by engaging with children on climate change topics, we can encourage them to think creatively and innovatively about how we can all work towards creating a more sustainable vision for the future.
This is why we are proud to be supporting Learning@TheGrange to ensure we engage with the next generation, and harness the skills needed to tackle climate change. These workshops took an innovative look at how to tackle this issue, harnessing the outstanding creativity of the young people in the Hampshire community. I hope all the films that have been produced through this collaboration are a great source of inspiration for the delegates at COP26 and beyond.”
Below you'll find the videos created by the young people who were involved in the project.
The Ocean Republic - Inspired by the Ocean - written by 7 - 11 year olds
Below you'll find the videos created by the young people who were involved in the project.
The City Tree - Inspired by Urban Nature - Written and created by 7-9 year olds
Frozen Mirror - Inspired by the Arctic - Written and created by 13-15 year olds
Rewilding - Inspired by wetlands - Written, created and filmed by a county youth choir
Turn the Page - Inspired by the Amazon Rainforest - Written and created by 9-10 year olds
Rewild the World - Inspired by the African Grasslands - Written and created by 11-12 year olds
Wood Wide Web - Inspired by Ancient Woodland - Written and created by 13-15 year olds
Bleached - Inspired by the Great Barrier Reef - Music composed and dance choreographed by young people