From “other people will fix it” to “change starts with us”
What happens when young people are invited to imagine environmental change not only from a human perspective, but through the eyes of a tree, a goose, a bee or even a blade of grass?
In Felixstowe, on the Suffolk coast, nine young people did exactly that.
Between November 2024 and March 2025, Felixstowe Youth VOICE, an artist-led project by Furtherfield, brought together young people aged 18–30 to explore environmental justice, biodiversity and their own ability to create change in the places that matter to them.
Seeing the world through another species
The project began by listening. Participants explored some of the barriers they face in their own lives, from housing and work to wellbeing and wider social and political challenges. Then, through creative role-play, they began looking at their local environment from a very different perspective.
Each participant chose a Mentor Species found in the area a tree, goose, bee, dog, grass, beetle or squirrel and imagined its experiences, needs and struggles.
As the workshops continued, connections emerged between the experiences of young people and those of other species: questions of habitat and housing, resources, wellbeing, safety and the ability to flourish.
From concern to action
The project then turned towards a different question: What can we actually do?
Participants mapped actions they were already taking, those they wanted to take, and those they wanted to pursue but didn't yet know how. The exercise helped reveal that they were already doing more than they realised.
By the final workshop, participants were using photography, video and digital storytelling to communicate what they had discovered and bring their perspectives beyond the group.
Felixstowe Youth VOICE was developed by Furtherfield within the VOICE project. The newly published report shares the creative methods behind the project, participants' experiences, achievements, challenges and lessons learned.