As global temperatures soar, The Climate Challenge College is offering young people the skills to tackle the climate crisis

Date published: 23 July 2022

Young people are more concerned than ever about climate change. Recent record temperatures have reminded us all about what’s at stake.

Now the first Climate Challenge College in the country – in Todmorden – is offering young people the chance to develop skills to tackle the climate crisis. They’ll be given the chance to explore sustainable land management which, as we’ve seen with the recent wildfires, is an urgent issue.

Alongside that they’ll be learning how to grow their own food, build using natural materials and use and implement renewable technologies.

The Climate Challenge College is funded by The National Lottery Climate Action Fund and is the first of its kind in the country for sustainability education.

The Green Futures course is running for the second year in a row after a successful pilot year. The Green Futures Course teaches about sustainable land management, which is crucial to tackling issues like the recent wildfires that we’ve seen.

The students also learn about natural flood management, another climate change disaster that occurs in our country. Renewable energy, such as wind and solar, offer alternatives to fossil fuels and the students will learn all about these technologies and jobs in the field.

The part-time course also teaches about how to grow your own food at the well-known Incredible Farm and natural building with renowned straw bale expert, Barbara Jones.

Julija Hansen, former student of the Green Futures course, said: “This course has made me realise that there’s a whole world of opportunities out there to do with helping to fight climate change and the green jobs that are out there.”

The Green Futures course runs from Monday 5 September 2022 to Wednesday 26 July 2023 at Todmorden College.

Applications are now open and anyone interested in applying can do so via their website https://tlchub.org.uk/climate-college/, email ClimateCollege@tlchub.org.uk or through Instagram @ClimateChallengeCollege