Get involved

Young people will experience stronger consequences of climate change in their future adult lives than adults face today. They also experience barriers to mitigating against climate change as they are not able to undertake large investments in green technology and many are not old enough to vote for a party that aims to protect the climate. This lack of economic, political and social agency means that young people can feel powerless which can result in eco-anxiety

For Planet is an ambitious youth movement led by Youth Focus North West in partnership with the Environment Agency, that tackles the climate emergency and alleviates climate anxiety amongst young people through a mobile app that inspires and challenges young people to have agency and empowers them to drive change.

For planet is a mobile app where actions contribute to a fun world building game. These digital actions also translate into real world environmental benefits with young people and communities taking direct action in their local neighbourhoods.

The project is overseen by a Steering Group of young people aged 16-25 years and an Advisory Panel of industry experts, working together as an exemplar example of intergenerational co-production. 

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Background and Origin Story

For Planet began in 2019 with a call to action from 16-year-old Emma who during a keynote speech urged organisations to help change carbon behaviours amongst young people. The Environment Agency responded with the idea of creating a mobile app that would motivate behaviour change. The mobile app, For Planet, was piloted in 2023 over a 6 week period with 120 young people and the results were promising:

• 88% of users felt that using the For Planet app influenced the way they feel about climate change, with 62% using positive words such as “inspired”, "motivated" and "optimistic" compared to 16% using positive words before using the app
• 80% of users thought that they increased the knowledge or participation of friends or family members who would not usually engage in climate activities 
• 78% of users spent at least 3 hours a week in nature and green spaces, compared to 58% before they started using the app. 
• 13.2 tonnes of CO2e saved, 35,453 kWh of energy saved and 1 million litres of water saved during the pilot

These outcomes demonstrate For Planet’s ability to motivate positive environmental action in young people and communities.

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Interested in getting involved? 

We are now ready to launch into the next phase and have big ambitions for For Planet and are looking for friends, partners and investors to join us.  

Whether you are a youth agency, a local authority, a charity or a business that is looking for a social value opportunity or a charity partnership, or maybe you are just curious to know more, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you. 

Contact Lilasuri Morris, For Planet Project Manager

‍lilasuri@youthfocusnw.org.uk

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