Green Influencers has been working this year with the NEWT group at Franklin Sixth Form College. NEWT (Nature, Environment and Wildlife Team) is a PPD Group (Personal and Professional Development) at the College which is supported by the College team but led and run by the young people themselves.
We’ve worked with NEWT lots this year – see our article from April where we did a join event at Franklin (https://vanel.org.uk/vanel/2026/04/vanels-green-influencers-programme-works-with-franklin-college-to-inspire-young-people-on-the-environment/)
The NEWT group are very enthusastic and have been helping VANEL to develop a new Green Volunteer Pathway process (as part of VANEL’s work on development of a Youth Volunteering Toolkit – see our recent update here). NEWT have been helping us to make sure the toolkit and the green pathway are welcoming, flexible and accessible for other young people and their feedback has already helped us to develop new opportunities and a simpler volunteering journey.
Term has restarted and NEWT is back better than ever at Franklin. As well as our more normal Green Influencers activity with very young children, NEWT is a great piece of partnership work between VANEL, Our Future Starts Here, Green Influencers and older young people at the College.
Here’s an October update about the work at Franklin:
159 Promises in Two Hours
At the college Freshers Fair, founding members Alfie and Preston, supported by Farha, showed off last year’s campaigns, including Wildlife, AI and “Venison on the Menu”. They also asked new students one question: what promise will you make to our world?
In just two hours, 159 students made a pledge. The most popular were protecting wildlife and putting litter in the bin (27 each), followed by encouraging others to care and learning more about our sea and nature (18 each). Others promised to cut plastic waste, keep our beaches clean, protect our rivers and save water.
It was especially good to see some of our former Beacon Academy Green Influencers, now studying at Franklin, thinking about joining NEWT. This is what the pathway is for: helping young people carry on their environmental journey from primary school through to volunteering.
Nine Members, Three Themes
NEWT now has nine members. Before setting a programme, Jazz White (Franklin Sustainability and NEWT lead) asked the students what mattered to them. Their ideas ranged from beachcombing and chalk streams to bug hotels and renewable energy, and three groups formed: Wildlife, Energy & Biodiversity and Marine.
The groups are already finding links between their topics. One discussion asked what happens when solar and wind farms affect wildlife habitats or farmland. Next, the students will look at whether their three ideas could come together as one shared project. They will also link their work to national campaigns, share it on their new Instagram account, support environmental charities and work towards awards along the way.
We don’t yet know where it will lead, because it’s their project. We’ll share their progress throughout the year.
Thank You
Thank you to Liz from Volunteer Grimsby & NEL for leading at the Freshers Fair, to Alfie, Preston and Farha, to Jazz White for her ongoing support of NEWT, and to every student who made a promise.
Get Involved
· Franklin students: contact Jazz White or sign up for PPD through the usual college channels. Look for the Sustainability Group – Franklin NEWT.
· Aged 16+ and not at Franklin? Become a Green Volunteer by filling in our Expression of Interest form or emailing sam@vanel.org.uk.
What we care for today shapes tomorrow. Our Future Starts Here.
Supported and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. The Green Influencers VANEL Green Volunteering Pathway was developed in collaboration with the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Youth Volunteering Toolkit.