Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To inform the Committee of an approach to the Council for support for the 30U30 (30 under 30) Northern Ireland Climate Change-Maker’s programme. The programme is coordinated by two lead partner organisations, namely Podiem and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, and is currently supported by DAERA, Pinsent Masons, Pacem and Danske Bank, with a request for local authority involvement being addressed through this approach to the Council.

1.2       The 30 under 30 programme is a climate focused programme, where young leaders from Northern Ireland have the opportunity to take part in an international learning programme, led by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Podiem. The current cohort of young leaders has already been recruited and there is a request to the Council to support the programme of activity they will undertake. All of the 30U30 modules are being delivered in Belfast City Centre and the majority of the participants either reside or work within the Council’s footprint. The cohort is strengthened by its diversity with a broad range of backgrounds and interest/expertise areas represented. Over 55% of the group are female and there is a mix of those in education, employment and currently economically inactive.  

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is recommended to approve a contribution of £8,750 plus VAT to the overall programme costs of approximately £100,000 in total. This will resource three modules, taking place in February and March 2023, including the finale event on Thursday 30th March.

2.2       Should the Council support the initiative, the Climate Unit will explore opportunities to align with our existing climate programme and the work being undertaken with young leaders through Belfast Climate Commission and within other projects such as Belfast One Million Trees and the UPSURGE project.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       30U30 (30 Under 30) is a programme designed develop 30 ‘exceptional potential leaders’ in NI under the age of 30 with a focus on addressing climate change. These leaders have been competitively selected from a diverse range of industries, sectors and educational backgrounds. As mentioned above the majority of participants are from the Belfast area with over 55% of the group being female. There is a mix of those in education, employment and currently economically inactive.    

3.2       Within the modular programme participants will learn from globally renowned thought leaders and performers across a range of relevant topics. These topics have been carefully crafted to create a cohort of leaders who will return to their fields of expertise with the tools to become planet positive change-makers in the short/long term. Speakers and facilitators include individuals such as:

·        Alice Thompson - an international speaker and social business leader who co-founded Social Bite in Edinburgh and helped to establish ‘The Worlds Big Sleepout’ which took place in 52 cities around the world.

·        Gerry Hussey - Ireland’s leading health, wellbeing and performance coach, who has worked with many leading sports people and teams, and author of ‘Awaken Your Power Within’.

·        Philip Hesketh - an international authority on influence and persuasion, who has worked with clients such as the BBC, Nestle, Walt Disney, Nike, Microsoft and Bank of America among others.

·        René Carayol MBE - has worked with leaders such as Mikael Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Sir Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, and Kofi Annan, and authored the book ‘SPIKE’. He has been Chairman, CEO and MD of businesses and served on the boards of Marks and Spencer’s and Pepsi. He is an authority on inclusivity and leadership.

3.3       The programme includes an international element which will encourage and enable the NI climate change-makers to build relationships and collaborations with climate change-makers from other parts of the world through the 30 under 30 programme currently run by the North American Association for Environmental Education.

            Potential Benefits for the Council

3.4       The programme coordinators will ensure that the Council will be positioned as championing (along with the other partners) the creation and development of the next generation of local leaders who will lead work to address climate change in Northern Ireland. This will support the cities ambition, articulated in the Belfast Resilience Strategy, to ‘transition to a low-carbon economy in a generation’. It will also build on work undertaken by the Council Climate Unit with young people through the Belfast Climate Commission and Council funded research on young people’s perceptions of the climate crisis undertaken during COP26 in 2021.

3.5       In terms of profile, the Council brand will be prominent at the three modules (including the finale event) and a Council representative will be included within photographs at each of the three modules.

3.6       There is an opportunity for a member of the Council’s Climate team to present on how a city is playing its part in helping to avert a climate crisis. The cohort will feature some of NI’s finest future leadership talent (including those from the local government sector), so this content will be very useful and relevant to the participants.

3.7       There is an opportunity for the Lord Mayor of Belfast to greet the group and hear how they are planning to create meaningful impact as a direct consequence of the programme. This would form part of the 30U30 graduation. 

3.8       There is also an opportunity to host one of the remaining modules, potentially the finale on 30th March, in the City Hall. 

            Financial and Resource Implications

3.10     £8,750 plus VAT - which will be allocated from existing City and Organisational Strategy budgets. 

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Implications

3.11     None.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.