SOS-UK

Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) is an educational charity created by students and staff at NUS in 2019 in response to the climate emergency and ecological crisis. We exist to help students to learn, act and lead for sustainability, to support students to be the change that society urgently needs to get us out of the climate crisis and to deliver climate justice. Our vision is for the education sector to equip students with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to create a fairer and more prosperous society for everyone.

Green Impact is one of our most widespread and long-standing programmes, designed to support environmentally and socially sustainable practice within organisations through encouraging teams of staff and students to take positive actions. The programme has spread to a diverse range of organisations, from Universities and Students’ Unions to NHS trusts and Councils, as well as expanding internationally too across Europe, Canada and Australasia. Teach the Future is our urgent youth-led campaign to repurpose the education system in response to the climate crisis. The campaign has three core aims for the education system: teach students about climate change, include green skills in many vocational courses and make educational buildings climate-friendly. You can find out more information about our many other programmes and campaigns, such as Student Switch Off and Responsible Futures here.

Last November, we supported the youth-led, youth-run online conference Mock COP26 – which aimed to fill the void of the postponed COP26. The event was run by young climate activists and was attended by 330 delegates from 142 countries, culminating in a powerful deceleration and treaty with 18 policy recommendations. Our team of student staff are now continuing to work to get the declaration to every head of state and are shaping the implementation Phase Two of Mock COP26 (Jan-Nov 2021).

We also have some exciting upcoming events and programmes, such as our annual Global Goals Teach In which this year is taking place from 22^nd February – 5^th March 2021. The Teach In calls upon educators across all stages of education to pledge to include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their teaching, learning and assessment on their course(s) and in their classrooms during the two weeks of the event. In terms of programmes, we are currently proposing an exciting new scheme called Rewilding Campuses, which would provide the resources for Students’ Unions and institution partnerships to restore and improve their campus ecosystems, with funding for materials and a local project manager.