From 31 October, the world’s most influential politicians and environmental leaders will descend on our home city of Glasgow to discuss the biggest issue facing mankind: climate change.
This will be far from the first time countries around the world have met for such a global summit, and yet the conversation on climate change has never felt so crucial.
The decisions taken here in Glasgow will undoubtedly impact us all. However, it is the next generation that needs to live with the choices made here today.
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As educational leaders, we have long understood our role in providing young people with the skills they need to thrive in the world. We help them to develop their English and maths skills, open their eyes to the possibilities of science and spark their imagination through the arts.
Empowering young people to have the confidence, knowledge and passion to take responsibility for the world we live in is also an important part of their development into adulthood - and something we as educators need to encourage.
A stone’s throw from where world leaders will gather for COP26, thousands of pupils from all around the world will be taking part in a Global Youth Summit on Climate Change, in what will be one of the biggest events of its kind available to schools.
International speakers from across the climate movement will be taking part, including Antonio Hautle from UN Global Impact and Chris Hines, the former sustainability director at The Eden Project. Pupils will also be given a rare chance to hear from experts on the subject and a platform to voice their own views.
Delivered with WildHearts - a group of companies advocating for global social change - the youth summit will feature workshops, seminars and lectures available for pupils to view at any time during the five-day summit. Teachers will also be able to access lesson plans that introduce students to sustainability and videos on future careers within the sector.
The purpose of this initiative is simple: we want to educate and inspire the next generation to engage with a topic that has vast consequences for us all. We want to encourage collaboration across borders and provide young people with practical solutions they can adopt in their everyday life. But at the heart of it all, we want them to understand that they, like all of us, have a role to play.
Education is the most powerful tool we have in the fight against climate change - and by engaging pupils in meaningful discussion, we hope to inspire future leaders to make a difference.
*Schools from anywhere in the world that wish to take part virtually in the Global Youth Summit should click here.
Matthew Pearce is rector (headteacher) of The Glasgow Academy, an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18
