An initiative to inform, inspire, and empower children and young people around global water challenges was launched in London on 6 June 2024.

The first Water Week is taking place 3-9 June 2024, and is the kick-off for six months of action, which involves scientific storytelling and educational engagement of children and young people. It is expected to result in a measurable impact on water pollution.

Tangible water actions start in September 2024, building up to the UK Parliamentary Youth Summit on 22 March, UN World Water Day 2025.

Over 180 organisations have already taken part in the consultation to help inform the UK Water Week delivery strategy, and major international children’s entertainment brands and broadcasters have already signed up to support the campaign, including Cartoon Network.

Katy Newnham, director of Wastebuster, a charity delivering environmental awareness campaigns in schools, is coordinating a roadmap for the initiative. She said, “This ground-breaking collective impact initiative demonstrates the values of UN Sustainable Development Goal 17 - partnerships for the goals. It presents an extraordinary opportunity for multiple stakeholders to come together to maximise the power of collective impact and help inspire the next generation of water conservationists.”

The campaign aims to curate a global, world class education programme by highlighting content created by the entertainment industry, broadcasters, NGOs and academics that explain not only the challenges we face in conserving water, but the solutions that can be undertaken to tackle them. This will include films, documentaries, clips, shorts and music, alongside engaging scientific presentations, papers, tools and studies

Schools, children and young people and their families, will be encouraged to ‘pledge’ to get involved in activities that are recognised as Water Week, as part of a large-scale citizen science programme, to reduce water pollution and measure impact. Schools will have the opportunity of a visit from the Water Week Roadshow.

Water reporters

Training of children and young people to be Water Week reporters, and providing Water Action Youth Summit events in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will culminate in a UK-wide summit. This will provide an opportunity for young people to express their concerns and propose ideas as solutions to water challenges to panels of cross-sector representatives, and they may see their ideas become a reality.

In this way, Water Week will encourage young people to play an active role in being pro-active, responsible global citizens and the next generation of water conservationists.

“Working together, we aim to harness the power of entertainment for social change and inspire children and young people to appreciate the importance of water conservation, and to activate real and measurable change through mass civic engagement,” said Newnham.

“We aim to deliver world class STEAM education – that’s science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths - for children and young people; not only in schools, but through mainstream children's media, by engaging with some of the greatest scientists and storytellers of our time.

“We will identify solutions for the maintenance and restoration of the health and well-being of water ecosystems in the countries in which Water Week takes place. We will then encourage mass participation in large-scale citizen science activities to activate positive change.”

Caroline Petit, deputy director of the United Nations Regional Information Center (UNRIC) said, “We know what we have to do. We have the roadmap with the Sustainable Development Goals.

“So let us take action and protect, sustainably manage and ensure equitable access to water for all. Progress depends on our actions, not on our words.”

Helena Mansell-Stopher, chief executive of Products of Change, a founding partner of Water Week, said, “Education is the passport to the future, as tomorrow only belongs to the people who prepare for it today, and that’s why it’s so important to give the next generation the tools to inform their future decisions, and the opportunity to voice their concerns.”

Newnham concludes, “We want to increase reach by working with these partners and ideally create a tipping point so we can try to social norm the attitudes and behaviours that will reduce water pollution, but not just water pollution. It is also about conserving water and tackling a wide range of water issues.”

The overall impact in terms of reducing water pollution will be measured and celebrated during Water Week 2025.