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High school students and young people across the country
are doing great things to make positive change in their schools and communities.
We are excited to launch a NEW 6 month peer-to-peer student climate leadership program for 20 high school students in years 8-12 from high schools across Victoria in 2017. These young people will challenge themselves to this newly-launched training program to master skills in leadership, change-making, campaigning and communications. They’ll learn from some of the best […]
High school students from the Latrobe Valley have made the news (Again) ! They were interviewed on ABC news Victoria and shared their visions for a bright and sustainable future ! Since July students have been busy making their high schools more sustainable and sharing their vision for the valley. Here is the students […]
The Australian Youth Climate Coalition has won the Community category in this year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards for their Switched on Schools Victoria program. This prestigious award was presented by the Victorian Minister for Climate Change, Energy and Environment Lily D’Ambrosio and accepted by Tom Reddington and Laura Sykes on behalf on behalf of students, volunteers […]
Jade, a Year 10 student from Gilmore College for Girls, is one inspiring young person! After attending the Melbourne Climate Justice Summit in August this year, she has been driving a campaign to repower her school with renewable energy. Jade attended the excursion with her Year 10 classmates, where they learnt about the impacts of […]
Melbourne Climate Justice Summit 300 students. 24 high schools. 30 youth facilitators. 11 local politicians. 1 big youth parliament on the steps of Victorian Parliament House. The annual Climate Justice Summit held on 17th and 18th August at Trades Hall was our biggest schools summit yet, bringing together hundreds of students from diverse schools […]
The Switched on Schools program is a finalist in the 2016 Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Award. A massive congratulations to the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of students, across Australia, that make this program so great! There has never been a more important time for young people to get active to combat global warming and lead […]
On the 28th and 29th of July 2016 over a 120 students came together for the first ever Latrobe Valley Switched on Schools Summit. Their story made Win News Victoria – check it out ! #visionforthevalley
Western Sydney came alive on the 7th and 8th June with 100 high school students converging at the Granville Town Hall for the Parramatta Switched on Schools summit. 8 schools from across Western Sydney came to learn more about climate change and the unequal impacts it is having on communities around the world. Students heard […]
Members of St Aloysius College’s Greenhouse Group attended the Switched on Schools Adelaide summit on 18 and 19th of May. They joined 80 high school students from across Adelaide for 2-days of learning, sharing, planning and climate action! They heard from the Adelaide Lord Mayor and SA Minister for Environment about the role of […]
Launceston College student and AYCC volunteer Monte is passionate about young people having a say in their future, and recently started a Twitter hashtag to raise awareness about the importance of young people enrolling to vote this election. Unfortunately, despite enrolling to vote just after he turned 16, Monte misses out on voting by just […]
By Matthew James Richardson I went to my first AYCC summit in September 2014 while I was a Year 11 at Brighton Secondary, Adelaide. I went because I cared about climate change and wanted to learn more, because my chem teacher encouraged me, and because, worst case scenario, two days off school! During the summit […]
At the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, we are passionate about young people’s voices getting heard on the issues that matter most to them. But 25% of young people aged 18-24 weren’t enrolled to vote in the last election. That means that thousands of young people missed out on having their voice heard on issues that […]
A massive congratulations to high school students Jack Nyhof and Ruby Williams, who recently took out the Victorian CLIMATE Award. On the 18th of March 2016 they received their awards at the inaugural Victorian CLIMATE awards ceremony. The awards are a partnership between the Victorian Local Government Association and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. The […]
Students from the Queenwood School and St Luke’s Grammar School presented at the recent Switched on School Earth hour summit. The Students had attended the summit the previous year and returned to share their stories of how they made change in their schools. Student from Queenwood School, shared how they had created “Cleanwood” environment club […]
On the 17 and 18th of March the usual animal noises of the Taranga Zoo were overtaken by the climate-action-buzz of the Switched on Schools Earth Hour summit! 170 students from across Sydney were joined by 20 young AYCC facilitators for 2-days of learning, networking and action. The annual two-day excursion was made possible through […]
Leonardo Dicaprio wins Oscar and dedicates it to climate action! Check out Leo encouraging us to get on with the job of taking action to stop global warming and create a fairer, cleaner and more sustainable future.
Join one hundred high school students from your area at a two-day Switched on Schools summit in 2016! Summits are a transformational experience: hear from inspiring speakers, learn about climate justice, meet other young change makers and build skills to run campaigns to change the world! Summits are free and usually run as 2-day school excursions. Check out […]
Bill Nye the Science Guy is here to explain climate change using a language everyone can understand — emoji!
On the 11 and 12th June, 150 high school students from across the Illawarra came together for a 2-day Switched on Schools Summit. They planed campaigns to take action on climate change in their schools. They also held a youth parliament and sent a message to Australia’s leaders to aim higher on climate ! There […]
High School and College students in Canberra are demanding that their school bank provider rules out supporting the world’s largest coal port on the Great Barrier Reef. If our schools’ banks are not prepared to come out in favor of protecting the reef and our future, then we will campaign for a new bank that […]
This Reef Quiz and powerpoint is a great way for both teachers and students to bring information about one of our natural treasures into the classroom while supporting students as they move Australia towards protecting the Reef!
Earlier this year, 15 young Australians traveled to Nepal to embark on the journey of a lifetime. From Kathmandu, to Mt Everest Base Camp, they met some incredible people who are living on the frontline of climate change and young Nepalese activists who are fighting for a brighter future. Here’s how Dylan saw it: “As […]
Talking about climate change can be tricky sometimes, especially because there is lots of confusion about facts in the media. We’ve put together this video to give you some tips and tricks for changing hearts and minds.
So you want to run a kickass sustainability campaign? You’re going to want to set some goals, create a timeline and make a plan. Use some of these handy tips before you start!
When you start a group in your school and you want to get stuff done, you’ll probably need to hold a meeting. Watch this hand guide to learn how to run your meetings like a pro.
Climate change can feel like an overwhelming problem, too big for one person to fix. But you don’t need to despair, when we stick together, we can change everything! Here at the AYCC we think everyone has a role to play in creating a better world:
Participating in the 2014 Western Sydney Summit was the catalyst for Elyssa’s western Sydney school to embrace sustainability. After the summit, Elyssa and her fledgling environment team engaged students through a campaign to save the Great Barrier Reef and Pacific Islands from climate change.
In sunny South Australia, high school students from 6 different schools came together to learn, laugh, create, be inspired and plan to take action in their communities.
Watch this video explaining how big problems like climate change can be fixed, and how young people can be the heros of the story.
Australia is the sunburnt country. We are blessed with a massive solar resource and people are starting to use it. 1 million homes are now powered by clean, renewable energy from the sun!
After a four-month campaign by AYCC members, Lend Lease (one of Australia’s biggest construction companies) publicly confirmed that they would withdraw from the Abbot Point coal project – the proposed coal port Great Barrier Reef waters! This is a significant step forward in our campaign to protect the Reef and the climate from a huge […]
As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people we are a part of the oldest continuing culture in the world and have lived in harmony with our land for generations. Right now climate change is disproportionately affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are experiencing rising sea levels in the Torres Strait, the loss […]