Don't start alone in this challenge! Convince and motivate your friends to follow you, but also teachers who might be interested, and count on word of mouth afterwards. Rely on the mandatory green school representatives in junior high schools and high schools.

Start by informing the administration of your high school by organizing a meeting with the principal for example. It will be necessary to insist on what the project brings to the school apart from raising awareness: meeting between different users, energy savings and good image thanks to the “sustainable school” label. The Head Office agrees, set a date and invite everyone.

If you want to expand your group even more, start by creating an Insta account. Maybe you can visit all the classes of your school to publicize your new project [and make the students aware of it]. You will be able to communicate the date of the first meeting and the Instagram account. And frankly, don’t worry! The climate emergency is such a topical issue, and affects everyone, that there's no doubt that you'll find people ready to get involved and motivated to carry out the project with you! Write down the names of the most motivated students and create an Insta or WhatsApp conversation with them.

Now that you have created your group, it is time to get together to think things through!

Any questions? Go to the FAQ

Organize a first meeting to set up the project with its objectives (e.g. the issue of awareness or communication) and the way it will work (monthly meetings? teamwork?).

Try to gather all the ideas for action through meetings, a suggestion box or a shared padlet and a conversation with all members. These shared ideas can then be sorted according to their feasibility and interests.

What's next? The action plan! Choose together between 5 and 30 actions. The goal for the year is to carry all of them out. There are other ways to get organized. To be sure it is effective, have it validated by the Head Office, by making an appointment with the bursar or the principal. Now that you have sorted and organized your ideas, it's time to take action!

A few ideas you can draw your inspiration from...

In order to be effective, it is important to divide the tasks. It is therefore necessary to create groups/teams for different projects ( ex: Administrations, communication, waste etc).

After creating groups/teams, each team is assigned a student in charge of the group / team. This student is a person who is able to explain the project. You also need a student who is in contact with the Head Office of your school.

It is best to draw up an Action Plan that includes all the projects you want to carry out. Start with the easiest projects in order to motivate yourselves for more challenging projects and gain experience. During each action, take pictures so you can communicate as much as possible!

Add your school on the map

Communication is very important in order to share information with the "High Schools in Transition" group, and to bring other people to the meetings. Regularly inform the other high school students about your actions: this will show them that you are acting in a concrete and ambitious way. To communicate, anything is possible: posters in the corridors (ask for authorization), Instagram account, page on the virtual learning environment, newsletter with Mailchimp... Your presence at your school's open day can give your project greater visibility. Going into the classrooms, with the prior agreement of the teachers, is a means of communication that works very well. Three or four highly motivated students are better than small flyers that are quickly lost or thrown away. It allows students to put a face to the project members and make them want to join Ecolycée. Remember to bring a piece of paper on which motivated students can write their contact information. Your motivation will be contagious...

A little tip to make sure that all the teachers are aware of your project, ask if you can come to the September inset day. You can also be present on the first day of the school year to introduce your project to new students.

After each action accomplished, congratulate the participants! Taking stock of all that has been accomplished motivates the group and makes them want to continue.

Vary the forms of meetings: for example, you can organize picnics, aperitifs, or meetings at the canteen, which actually makes you work on the project and have a good time. This makes you want to go on with the project even more