Future Leaders Programme > Sustainable Futures

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Sustainable Futures

Sustainable Futures is a new programme that will ensure that all young people are supported to understand and apply sustainable thinking as they consider their career pathway options and make decisions about futures that are good for them, and for the planet.

Sustainable Futures responds to these pressing needs:

A swift and effective transition to a green economy, necessitated by the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
The creation of a groundswell of future prospects for young people emerging from education at a time of environmental crisis and economic upheaval.
The need to ensure that all new “green” jobs are filled by people from all corners of our society.

About the Sustainable Futures course

The course at the heart of Sustainable Futures will provide young people with the skills, competencies and pathway opportunities required to support - and steer - the transition to sustainability through their career choices and professional path. It will embed a deeper understanding of the environmental crisis and the importance of sustainability, so that Future Leaders will be able to make informed decisions about their careers and lifestyle.

The Sustainable Futures course is currently in the pilot phase and is expected to launch fully in the Autumn Term 2022.

"I have learned all about Sustainability, something I walked in knowing nothing about. We covered all corners of the subject and I walked out heavily informed on how to sustain the world for future generations."

"I’ve always wanted to go further into sustainability so it’s only fuelled my enthusiasm."

"I have learnt a lot about the negative impact we make on the planet and ways we can address this. Also I have become more mindful of my own footprint and how I could pass this message onto others."

World-class partners

We are delivering Sustainable Futures in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK and Founders4Schools (F4S), funded by the Evolution Education Trust, ensuring that all young people in the UK are equipped to thrive in a green economy that works to increase biodiversity and tackle climate change.

The ultimate goal is for sustainability to become an embedded component in careers education across all schools in the United Kingdom.

The Evolution Education Trust is an established and valued supporter of Villiers Park, having funded several of our STEM programmes since 2014. Sustainable Futures will further develop and strengthen our partnership with the Trust.

Sustainable Futures on the WWF website

Wider support

As her name suggests, Anne Villiers has a special connection to our charity: Arthur Villiers, our namesake and one of the founders of Villiers Park, was Anne’s first cousin, once removed.

When she discovered the connection, Anne saw an opportunity to marry her passion for nature with her family’s history of support:

“Climate change is here and there are things we can do about it. We cannot let young people grow up unaware of it, and yet we must find ways to teach this most serious of subjects without engendering fear. The nature crisis and biodiversity loss are hardly talked about in schools; we need to move faster to embed these topics in the curriculum. I’m happy that, through Villiers Park, I can help give young people opportunities to start thinking more deeply about these issues.”

Anne’s generous support, starting with a course on climate change and biodiversity loss in 2021, has run alongside our partnerships with EET, WWF and F4S, enabling us to develop a growing programme of environment-focused activity. Sustainable Futures launches formally in Autumn 2022, along with our very own Climate Leaders panel for Future Leaders passionate about tackling the climate and nature crisis.

Read Anne's story