As a student-led charity, SOS-UK have been proudly supporting young people with sustainability in education for our entire existence as an organisation. One of the ways we do so is by employing student staff on our education campaigns, who drive the student movement on the ground while developing their skills and gaining employment experience.
Read some of our past and present student staff’s reflections below.
Kelo Uchendu
Kelo is 27, and worked with us on the Mock COP campaign between Sept 2020 - Dec 2022.
Key highlights/experiences whilst working for SOS-UK and their impact
Working with SOS-UK as a campaign coordinator has been instrumental to my personal and professional growth. I joined SOS-UK in 2020 as an event coordinator for Mock COP, helping coordinating the planning and delivery of the conference. Afterwards, I continued as a campaign coordinator for another two years. I can't begin to estimate the impact of the work in driving up meaningful youth engagement and redefining youth-led climate organising, especially in the area of climate education.
On a personal level, the role was my 1st ever paid role, before joining Mock COP most of the climate organising work I have done has been unpaid and voluntary and that remains the case for many other young people till today. The savings from my roles enabled me to pursue a postgraduate degree which greatly enhanced my knowledge and professional growth. SOS-UK funded my 1st ever participation in a global conference, funding my participation in COP26 and COP27, respectively.
Currently, I work as a Net Zero Consultant for one of the biggest global engineering and development consultancies supporting the decarbonisation of buildings and major infrastructural projects across Europe.
As someone who grew up in a low-income country like Nigeria, I wouldn't have gotten to this point without the experience, opportunities and resources Mock COP and the broader SOS-UK team provided for me.
Things learned and skills and values developed
Stakeholder Engagement, Campaigning, Team Work, and People Management
How these were applied in other areas of life
The skills is definitely what helped me get into consulting and will still be very helpful as I progress in my career.
What stands out about your staff role at SOS-UK
Since Mock COP was my 1st ever paid role, they set a high standard of what diversity, tolerance and inclusion should look like. The SOS-UK core staff are some of the most lovely and supportive people I've met. I laminated the recommendation letter Jamie (our Executive Director) wrote for me and hung it in my room and each time I read it, it reminds of who I need to strive to become.
If you had to summarise your experience of the role for another young person, what would you say?
Phenomenal
Via Pinaso
Via is 21, and worked with us on our Mock COP26, Teach the Teacher and 1.5 Degrees projects between Aug 2020 - Jan 2023.
Key highlights/experiences whilst working for SOS-UK and their impact
I think that the whole experience was transformational! It was my first time leading a big event (Mock COP26), and I felt included and listened to in all the decisions that were made. Mock COP also gave me the chance to go to COP27, which was an amazing and engaging event to me.
Things learned and skills and values developed
Soft leadership skills, like working with multicultural teams and especially how to work in an organised way remotely.
How these were applied in other areas of life
I'm currently working at UNESCO, at The Youth UNESCO Climate Action Network, and I feel that all the knowledge and skills I learned in practice at Mock COP are essential for this project.
What stands out about your staff role at SOS-UK
The way the staff team is warm and cares about our personal development within the projects.
If you had to summarise your experience of the role for another young person, what would you say?
Strongly recommend, it is a life changing job.
Josh Tregale
Josh is 21, and worked with us on the Teach the Future and Mock COP campaigns between Aug 2020 - July 2022.
Key highlights/experiences whilst working for SOS-UK and their impact
Being supported to support working groups enabled me to develop leadership and teamworking skills.
Things learned and skills and values developed
I met many wonderful people working on these projects and feel much more confident due to the experience. My public speaking and communication skills became stronger, and I feel much more confident supporting and taking on leading roles in teams.
How these were applied in other areas of life
It has been beneficial in team projects during my degree. The communication skills and confidence have also helped me present more effectively at university. Since being involved in these projects, I have used my public speaking skills and knowledge about sustainability to continue campaigning in other settings.
What stands out about your staff role at SOS-UK
The way we are given responsibility and encouraged to show leadership at such a young age while being supported. The projects feel youth-led with the core staff there to support us.
If you had to summarise your experience of the role for another young person, what would you say?
It is a great experience where you are empowered to lead and manage projects while being well supported along the way.
Nico King
Nico is 21, and has worked on the Wilding Schools strand of our Green Schools Revolution campaign since July 2023. Nico also worked on the Teach the Future campaign in 2022.
Key highlights/experiences whilst working for SOS-UK and their impact
- Flexibility in working hours - much easier to fit around college and university timetable.
- Working from home - I can have a great job while not living near the main office or having to travel every day.
- Friendliness of line managers and other staff - feel comfortable doing my work and like my voice is actually listened to.
Things learned and skills and values developed
- Communication - I did not use to be able to speak in front of others, even online, and would keep my camera off. At the time of writing this response, tomorrow I am speaking at the Labour Conference Youth Rally (granted, I am scared out of my mind).
- Confidence - I feel more comfortable performing basic tasks independently, e.g. emailing new and external connections without needing a colleague or manager to review what I've written beforehand.
How these were applied in other areas of life
- Although I don't like it, I can speak up when I need to in professional and academic settings (maybe social ones one day??).
- I am able to email my university professors when I need help or when I want to show them a piece of work.
What stands out about your staff role at SOS-UK
They're so kind! And they listen to us as younger people and value our outside knowledge! This has not happened to me before, even when my sole purpose is to provide (frankly essential) outside knowledge and insight. (I was the single patient representative for a regional healthcare provider collaborative who were remodelling their system and loved to tout that it was patient-centred. I had to stop attending their meetings due to university and I have confirmation that no one has noticed for over a year!)
If you had to summarise your experience of the role for another young person, what would you say?
It's hard work, this isn't a job where you can just get by with minimal effort, but people will work with you to accommodate you as best they can. If you have the time required by your contract, I would recommend considering working as a student staff member to literally anyone.
David Okenwa
David is 23, and has worked with us on the Mock COP campaign since Feb 2023.
Key highlights/experiences whilst working for SOS-UK and their impact
The thorough organisation of the Mock Education Ministers Summit. Everything was arranged and put in place before time, including backups. Nothing was left to chance. The Summit was smooth, and I learned how to be thorough in planning and executing.
Things learned and skills and values developed
Skills: Organising events, managing logistics, coordinating volunteers, managing campaigns, using Action Network.
Values: Ensuring everyone feels heard, getting feedback at every point, learning and improving from every event - both failures and successes.
How these were applied in other areas of life
I am applying the knowledge from Mock COP in my full-time job, where I am a project manager. I ensure I show concern for the people I am working with as well as their progress in the job and ensure they are brought along in decision-making.
What stands out about your staff role at SOS-UK
Bi-weekly calls with your line manager in addition to the general weekly calls. It helps you clarify the most important things to be working on.
If you had to summarise your experience of the role for another young person, what would you say?
Worthwhile and impactful.
Huge thank you to all our past and present student staff - our work would not be as impactful as it has been without your amazing contributions!