Alleyn’s Earthshot Prize

Year 12 students Aleanbh, Amelia, Naomi and Millie have been named winners of the Alleyn’s Earthshot Prize – a competition to generate and execute solutions to our climate and nature crises based on the global Earthshot Prize, launched by Prince William and a global alliance in October 2020.

The Alleyn's Earthshot Prize forms part of the Alleyn’s Learners’ Programme (ALP), designed to help pupils to develop as learners and as young people. Through ALP, Year 11s undertake a critical thinking course and then apply their critical minds to some of the greatest challenges we face. As part of the competition, they had to submit a brief to explain a chosen issue and design real-world solution and plan of action, either in video form, as a written piece or as a live presentation to the Environment Society.

Aleanbh, Amelia, Naomi and Millie, now in Year 12, recognised the - perhaps surprising - impact that gender equality and the education of women will have on moving us toward a 1.5 degree future even more rapidly. To help tackle this, the pupils developed a plan to improve learning on the issue through the design of a new lesson, entitled ‘Educating for Power’.

Announcing the details to all Senior School pupils in assemblies during Sustainability Week, the pupils explained how their lesson will involve improving learning about the issue itself, as few people are aware of the link between gender equality and climate change. It will also include connecting with other children in less developed countries, like Niger where only 17% of young women are literate. They plan to do this through charity work, with charities such as Sparrow Schools and Equality Now. The pupils’ aim to help not only those currently being educated on the matter but also those without education to express their own opinions, giving us a greater awareness of what is happening elsewhere.

In assembly to the Lower School, Naomi said:

“Few people know that gender equality affects things such as climate change. When women are given greater opportunities to participate in the economy, manage incomes, own and run businesses – the benefits extend far beyond individual girls and women to their children and families, to their communities, to societies and economies at large.”

Millie explained:

“It is such a critical way of preventing emissions contributing to climate change by slowing down population growth through education, especially of women. This is because women with more years of education have fewer and healthier children.”

Amelia added:

“Improving opportunities for women and girls is not only morally right but critical to economic sustainable development.”

The pupils will now work with Mr Howell-Harte to take their lesson forward as part of PSHE at Alleyn’s.

As part of their prize, the pupils will receive vouchers to become even more deeply informed, and a tree will be planted in School with a plaque with their names on, to recognise and celebrate their achievements.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the competition and in particular to Aleanbh, Amelia, Naomi and Millie.

Find out more and enter the Alleyn’s Earthshot Competition 2023 on the Hub.