You pour the brew, I’ll provide the content
In these ‘Cuppa with a Change Maker’ blogs, I’ll feature a guest that is passionate about social justice and tackling educational inequality.
🫖🍵 In this post, Elizabeth Howat, Head of the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award, reflects on children and young people as beacons of hope. She explores why youth agency matters and how social action is an actionable way to achieve this.
Child and youth agency
For almost a decade, I’ve had the profound privilege of working alongside schools and pupils through our Awards programme.
In that time, I’ve witnessed children and young people step into roles as courageous advocates. They are leaders in their communities who grapple with deep questions of justice, responsibility, and the root causes of social and environmental issues.
Young people don’t stop at asking “why?”… they ask, “what can we do?”
Many have often asked me why I do this work. My answer has never changed: I’ve seen the deep impact of it first hand. I’ve witnessed how meaningful programmes like ours can shape the development of young minds, helping them to better understand not only the world, but also their place and power within it.
I’ve heard powerful stories of transformation of individuals, schools, and communities inspired and changed through collective action.
(Source: NSE, 2025)
Young people, in all their joy, resilience, and curiosity, are beacons of hope. Their insights are raw and real. Their ability to articulate their passions and concerns often surprise and humble us. They see the world not only as it is, but as it could be.
Courageous advocacy
We’re often told that children and young people are "the next generation" but that diminishes their role. The truth is, they are the generation of both today and tomorrow.
Children and young people have already lived through seismic global events, from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, and they carry those experiences with them.
But we must not let these events define a generation as passive recipients of hardship.
Children and young people are not mere victims of the world’s challenges; they are active agents of its renewal.
Recently, my colleagues and I asked a group of Key Stage 2 young leaders a simple question:
What would you say to someone who believes young people can’t make a difference?
These responses resonate:
“Age does not stop you changing the world, because many children have already changed the world”
“Think about an acorn, it grows into a huge oak tree. We are just like that.”
“We can be role models and people are often amazed at what we can do”
These mindsets are not only admirable, they are actionable.
In schools across the country, children and young people are leading impactful social action projects. Whether environmental or intergenerational, they are identifying local issues, asking bold questions, and shifting from awareness to impact.
(Source: NSE, 2025)
From cause and effect, they are moving into courageous action.
In a world that so too often underestimates them, these young change makers are demonstrating what courageous advocacy can look like in action.
Beacons of Hope
St Michael’s Church of England Primary School
At St Michael’s CE Primary School, even the youngest pupils are demonstrating profound empathy and action. Inspired by the values of kindness and community, Key Stage 1 pupils extended their learning during Refugee Week to support those seeking sanctuary. Moved by the stories of displaced people, the children decided to raise funds for BRASS (Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers), a local charity offering vital support.
(Source: NSE, 2025)
They potted and sold plants to raise money, using the opportunity to also raise awareness among parents about the charity’s work. Their efforts culminated in a special moment where the Charity CEO was invited into school to receive a cheque from the young leaders themselves. Their compassion didn’t stop there.
Children also contributed to the school’s ‘Book of Welcome’, creating a class poem entitled ‘We Will Welcome You’, a testament to their inclusive spirit.
Nottingham Emmanuel School
At Nottingham Emmanuel School, Key Stage 3 pupils were driven by a deep concern about food poverty in their community.
Determined to make a tangible difference, they organised support for a local foodbank through a supermarket charity collection. Spending a full day engaging with shoppers, the students handed out leaflets and encouraged donations. Their efforts were remarkable, collecting enough food to provide 600 meals, along with financial donations to buy even more essentials.
(Source: NSE, 2025)
What stood out most was their care in choosing what to purchase for foodbank users, demonstrating not just action, but thoughtful compassion.
St Thomas Cantilupe CE Primary School
Young Leaders at St Thomas Cantilupe CE Primary turned their attention to environmental justice, focusing on the health of their local River Wye.
Their project, ‘Stories of Change’, began with a conversation but quickly evolved into a community-wide campaign. Pupils connected with local food producers, environmental groups, and residents to explore the causes and consequences of river pollution.
Their work caught the attention of BBC Countryfile, and the children went on to produce their own awareness film. At a special screening, they shared their message with an audience that included the Mayor, the Bishop of Hereford, and local councillors, encouraging decision-makers to act and protect their environment.
Their voices were clear: the time for change is now.
You can hear from some of these change makers in the short video below.
(Source: BBC)
As one teacher shared,
“I've seen a lot of children grow in confidence and learn things about themselves that they probably wouldn't have learnt in a normal classroom environment. We've got children who have really come out of their shell and thrived in this environment”.
Three questions I’d like you to leave you with as you finish that cuppa :)
How can you further support children and young people to be courageous advocates for change in their community?
Where might you create space for their ideas, leadership, and compassion to flourish?
How can you help amplify their voices, so that they shine as beacons of hope in their communities and beyond?
About the author
Elizabeth Howat has a background in secondary education, having taught English for 10 years. Head of the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award programme, part of the National Society for Education, she is passionate about helping young people, at both primary and secondary level, to have their voices heard and to be courageous advocates within community. Over 180,000 young people have taken part in the Award since 2011.
She authored a Grove Education Booklet Igniting Potential: Developing Character and Leadership Through Social Action.
Elizabeth has created a free Collective Worship Lent Resource Living Hope for schools, which is available now.
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