SPOTLIGHT
Meet your Future Ready peers
Warrington Community Conversation – Youth Visioning Pilot
Robyn Lees – Net Zero Innovation & Delivery Officer, Warrington Borough Council
What was the objective of the Youth Visioning Pilot and how does this support the Warrington Carbon Culture project?
Our Fast Follower project broadly set out to address the challenge that there are not enough people engaged in the local net zero transition, and that action is not yet taking place at the scale and pace required to mitigate against and prepare for a changing climate. The ‘Warrington Carbon Culture’ project was therefore premised on the need to build a lower carbon culture, to embed and accelerate net zero activity, and widen involvement from individuals both within the council, and beyond.
In 2019, Warrington Borough Council declared a climate emergency and subsequently established an independent local climate commission, tasked with leading the public conversation on the unfolding climate crisis. The Commission published a climate strategy in 2022, which sets out a roadmap towards a more sustainable future for the borough. The strategy was developed in consultation with residents, but there was limited involvement from young people in the process. It soon became a priority for the Commission to seek opportunities for youth involvement.
Warrington Climate Commission is made up of the following members:
- Warrington Borough Council
- The local Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Sustainability and the Environment
- Chesire Wildlife Trust
- Culture Warrington
- Natural England
- University of Chester
- Education lead and schools liaison
- Warrington Community Energy
- Warrington NHS Integrated Care Board
- Warrington & Vale Royal College
- Warrington Youth Voice
With support from citizen engagement experts ‘Involve’, the council partnered with the Commission to run a youth-led community conversations project, aiming to offer a platform for young people to have their say on Warrington’s future. The intention from the outset was that the project would serve as a first step in a longer-term ambition to involve young people, by sowing the seeds for a local youth climate change network.
How were the ‘conversation starters’ and audiences chosen?
During the recruitment phase, connections were made with local youth organisations and relevant council departments. Partners on the Commission helped to provide direct links to young people through local colleges and the university, and the opportunity was also promoted publicly via various means. The aim during recruitment was to reach individuals aged 16-20 years old from a variety of backgrounds, particularly those from outlying wards. Of those who expressed an interest, 17 ‘conversation starters’ were selected to participate in the project.
Over four days in November 2024, the young people were tasked with addressing the overarching question:
What can we do to prepare for and reduce the impacts of climate change, whilst making our town a better place to live?
After receiving training on how to engage in asset-based conversations, the group responded to this question through a total of 73 conversations with family, friends, and members of their community, gathering rich insights into the views and priorities of local people. The content was developed into a vision for the future, working alongside local artist Sarah Harris to represent the vision using virtual reality. The findings were launched at an event to coincide with the Commission’s annual climate forum, which was attended by key stakeholders including the MP, members of Warrington’s Cabinet, and Commissioners.
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What are the learnings from the Community Conversations?
Upon reflection, there are several learnings that stand out to me from the project:
- The use of asset-based conversations was invaluable to shift away from conversations that dwell on the complexities of reaching net zero, and instead build out from what is important to people and their place. For example, by focusing on what makes Warrington different from other places and what would make it an even better place to live in the future.
- Residents were most concerned about issues directly relevant to them and their immediate environments, namely energy bills, local weather change, and flood risk. This mirrors findings from the wider literature on climate change perceptions, and provides meaningful information to support locally-relevant climate change communications.
- Young people felt strongly about the need for better climate change education for all ages and contexts. This resonates with the approach taken in our Fast Followers project and provides confirmation on the need to expand and embed carbon literacy and work towards a more carbon-conscious culture.
The project overall has not only established a foundation for continued engagement with young people, but has provided an evidence base to inform the council and Commission’s ongoing activities. The visual assets produced highlight the importance of a place-based approach and are a powerful demonstration of what a future sustainable and resilient Warrington could look like.
With the dedicated resource from Involve through the Net Zero Living programme, we have been able to engage a portion of the population whose involvement in the local climate conversation had otherwise been limited, but whose future it is most critical for. My special thanks go to Emily and James for your help to make it happen.
To find out more about this project, don't hesitate to get in touch with Robyn.