We launched the Environmental Academy back in June and have delivered 11 virtual sessions so far and our 25 young people will continue on the programme until November. Our cohort have come from across Liverpool City Region and all share a passion for how places can positively impact the environment and communities.
We kickstarted phase one with in-depth research and discussion around environmental activities, sustainable approaches to combat climate change and work with communities. Participants completed an independent design task linked to their local area before partaking in teamwork to plan their engagement campaign.
During the six virtual summer school sessions, participants collaborated in small teams to develop their designs further. They then planned a youth-led engagement campaign to gather feedback on what people thought of their design proposals and ideas on how to address key environmental issues and encourage sustainability in their local area.
The five teams launched their campaigns with the website http://www.placed-academy-2021.com serving as a platform to showcase their brilliant work and prompt feedback with its online surveys and interactive content produced by the cohort. 179 people have visited the site already which will remain live for the next three years – make sure you check it out!
Each week throughout August, a different group took over our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook platforms in an #AcademyTakeover day to spread their message across social media. The reach was impressive with some posts connecting with over 200 people! Participants also raised awareness and communicated their message by producing content for a screen at Liverpool Museum which displayed their work for 1 week in August.
We are now in the final phase of the PLACED Environmental Academy which will see our 25 participants take on the challenge of re-designing a town centre in Liverpool City Region. Across the next six weeks, they will work in small teams closely supported by our PLACED Ambassadors to develop ideas for how a town centre could be better designed for the people that live, work and visit there. They will assimilate the feedback they received from their community engagement to influence the direction they take with their designs, continuing to build on ideas that encourage and support the community to be more sustainable and address the climate crisis.
All sessions are generously supported by our Ambassadors, Partners and Sponsors who have shared their expert knowledge and experience of how design in the built environment can respond to climate change and have a positive impact on communities. We are extremely grateful for this generous support.