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Schools from across Carmarthenshire came together recently to celebrate the achievements of Good Life groups at the first Good Life Schools Carmarthenshire Summit, hosted by Global Action Plan in collaboration with Carmarthenshire Schools Climate Action Group.

Good Life Schools is a National Lottery-funded student-led, project based learning opportunity for schools, which gives young people aged 11-18 the opportunity to explore the impact of our consumer-driven, digital society and take meaningful action for change.

The young changemakers from Carmarthenshire have been part of the programme since September 2024, and presented how their projects have been going so far at the summit.

Students from Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth created a beautiful display to showcase their work on exploring the impacts of microplastics from both fast-fashion and general consumer goods. They also brought along examples of their willow weaving chill out area for the school and their published Good Life Charter.

Queen Elizabeth High School are in their middle of their Good Life journey and brought along a brilliant informative display showcasing the research they have been undertaking at the school, to help them plan to continue their final projects during the next academic year.

Ysgol Bro Dinefwr are the newest group, forming just one week before the event. But this didn’t stop them from bringing along a dazzling display of their initial project ideas, ranging from Bois Bio’s (Bio Boys in Welsh) idea for biodegradable seed packs called the “Bloom Box”, showcasing a computer game developed to help people recycle and even a stunning dress created from plastic waste packaging to highlight the plastic used in the fast-fashion industry.

Attending the Summit was Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen - Councillor for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability - who complimented the students on their remarkable achievements over the last few months:

“I'm here to listen to as many voices as we can in order to get as much support as we can to make Carmarthenshire greener and healthier.” (Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen)

Louise Morgan from Carmarthenshire County Council also thanked the students for their hard work on the Good Life Schools programme and for being role models for other schools across the county.

The Summit featured a marketplace where students and guests visited stands hosted by each school and took part in activities led by community partners and practitioners, such as a plastic-smithing workshop run by local jewellery designer Bronwen Gwillim. Students were able to create unique jewellery from plastic waste such as single use carrier bags and bottle tops.

In contrast to the plastic workshop, Daisy Buckle from Natural Curiosity Studio brought along locally sourced willow for guests to create their own decorations using natural materials.  

The loudest and most energetic activity by far was from Ynni Da who brought along a pedal powered disco which blasted out Welsh language pop for the duration of the marketplace. Students took it in turn to ride the bikes to power the music – and it didn’t stop for a second!

Meanwhile students from Ysgol Bro Dinefwr spend time interviewing attendees such as fellow students, Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen and Nick Thomas from CWM Environmental about the importance of education for both planet and people.

One student had a bilingual interview with Nick Thomas to discussing Nick’s work running repair workshops with schools across Carmarthenshire and how change involves: “little steps, which will build into big steps.”

During a student interview with Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen, he discussed his role as Councillor for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability and the importance of projects such as Good Life Schools not just here in Carmarthenshire but across the globe.

“It's my job to listen to the voices of young people and older people to make sure that we enact those urgent things that people really care about. And the things that I really care about is the environment and the kind of future we leave for the next generation.”

The Good Life Schools also heard from Dr Jennifer Rudd, a pioneer in climate action education and an advisor to Good Life Schools and Claire Arnott, Head of Good Life Schools, who celebrated the great work of the young changemakers.

The Summit ended with the cutting of the Good Life Schools cake, which was beautiful and crafted by a local creative Cakes by Jade!

The Good Life Schools Carmarthenshire Summit was a fun and energising opportunity to celebrate the successes of these young changemakers across Carmarthenshire who presented their work with such confidence. The young people showed immense pride in their achievements, no matter what stage they are on in their Good Life Journey and remarked that the sharing of experiences helped them to plan their next steps. The teachers also commented how this event helped to increase their own personal excitement for the next stage of their journey and how proud they were of all students involved.

I would like to give a huge Diolch yn Fawr / Thank You Very much to everyone who took part and attended this event and to those who made the Good Life Schools journey possible:

• To the fabulous Louise Morgan at Carmarthenshire County Council
• To Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen and Dr Jennifer Rudd for attending and supporting our changemakers
• To the community partners Ynni Da, Bronwen Gwillim and Natural Curiosity Studio for organising such a fantastic range of practical activities
• To Jade for the fabulous cake
• To the incredible and dedicated teachers for making this possible at such a busy time of year.
• And of course, to the stars of the show: The Good Life School students who are leading the way for a future that nurtures wellbeing of both people and the planet.

I am so proud of the students and am excited to see where the next steps of this journey lead us. But for now, I’m wishing you all a wonderful and restful summer holiday and look forward to continuing the adventure next year!

If you are a school or community organisation in South Wales interested in finding out more about Good Life Schools, contact Helen at [email protected]