Young Persons' Plan for the Planet

Young Persons' Plan for the Planet is an initiative of FEA, Questacon, Inspiring Australia, the United Nations Information Centre Canberra, the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Technology Sydney. The program promotes sustainable development in Australia with links to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The program is led by Ian Chambers at the ANU.

Originating in the FEA ACOLA phase, the YPPP program officially began in 2017. Twenty Australian schools were chosen to create a sustainable development plan for 2017-2030 for their EcoZone (below). The schools then worked to combine their individual EcoZone plans into a national sustainable development plan, the Young Australians' Plan for the Planet. This was presented in Canberra to federal ministers in August 2017. Following on from the success in the first year of the Australian program, the program has now expanded to Mauritius, adding the Young Mauritians' Plan for the Planet to confirm the enthusiasm for the process and capability beyond Australia.

FEA

 

In 2018 the "It's Our Future Conference 2.0" was held in Mauritius. The conference was open to selected senior high school students from across Australia and Mauritius. It covered a broad range of key innovations in science, as well as other STEM subjects specifically focused on the Science Exploration theme of achieving a sustainable future earth. FEA was delighted to support student attendance. Other sponsors included The Frank Fenner Foundation, the Society for Responsible Design, and the Mauritius Commercial Bank.

The conference focused on the application and opportunities in STEM fields for further study and careers within sustainability. Attendees were able to learn from career scientists, engineers, and technologists through presentations and workshops. Attendees were also given the opportunity to present and workshop STEM and management learnings from their participation in the YPPP. Attendees were given the opportunity to engage with key stakeholder organisations, including government and community leadership, NGOs, and businesses through the networking and social event sessions during the conference.

To learn more about the Young Persons' Plan for the Planet, click here.