YESfest

YESfest* introduces 8, 9 and 10-year-old children (English school Years 4 & 5) to peer networks and gives them a supportive community, practical tools and resources in order to ‘do something good in their part of the planet’. YESfest (Youth Eco Summits with a FESTival vibe) was founded in 2023 by Alex Bell and Jim Dees with a clear mission: to empower and inspire children aged 8-10 to become catalysts for change in the face of the climate emergency. Our founders, Alex Bell, a former headteacher and designer of award-winning coaching programs for school leaders, and Jim Dees, headteacher at West Lodge Primary School, came together to co-design, co-curate, co-produce, and co-host the inaugural YESfest Harrow in September 2023. The event brought together 12 schools, each with six delegates, and featured a live link to the Eden Project in Cornwall and sessions led by nationally recognized facilitators. Building on the success of YESfest Harrow, we have expanded our team, with Rachel Tomlinson, Headteacher of Barrowford Primary in Pendle, Lancashire, and Gillian Taylor, Project Director of Harwes Farm CIC, joining forces to develop YESfest Pendle.