Dirt Is Good Schools Programme

Powering up young people to take positive action for a better world

Sign up to enable your Changemakers to take action on the environmental and social causes they care about

Future Foundations is the UK National Delivery Partner for the Persil Dirt Is Good Schools Programme, working in partnership with Global Action Plan.

This is a fully funded programme, which supports primary schools, secondary schools and youth groups to engage their young people in taking action on social and environmental issues.

Through collaborative social action the Dirt Is Good Schools Programme has been designed based on international research and aims to narrow the Values Perception Gap to bring about cohesive communities of change.

The Dirt Is Good Schools Programme officially launched in the UK on the 21st October 2021 (World Values’ Day) with thousands of Changemakers from over five hundred schools across the UK. Around the world, in Chile, India and Thailand groups are being formed and they’re starting to take action – how exciting!

The programme encourages youth-led action and follows a cycle of activities which apply the four Dirt Is Good principles. There is flexibility in the design to allow it to be picked up and run at any time throughout the academic year.

We would like to invite schools and youth groups from across the UK to register to take part! This opportunity will be an excellent way to support your students wellbeing, and will help them to develop soft skills, work in teams with their peers and feel part of a community.

Earth Month 2022

The Dirt Is Good Schools Programme dedicated the entire month of April to celebrate and take action for Earth Day, which took place on April 22nd.  

Using our free resources, Changemakers across the UK came together, united in compassion and took collective action for our Earth.  

They have been creating beach clean-up events, hosting local litter picks, walking instead of using the car, using less plastic… and much more! 

If you took part in Earth Month, remember to share photos, updates and stories of your Changemakers action via the website to inspire and unite in compassion with other schools and groups on the programme! 

#DirtIsGoodEarthDay #DirtIsGoodProject 

Share your stories here

The programme is based on international research:

Read the full Research Whitepaper

Programme Design Principles

The Dirt Is Good Schools Programme enables young people to take action on the environmental and social causes they care about. Drawing on international research, our design principles are as follows:

  • We don’t tell young people what to take action on 
  • They are not picking an action from a list written for them by adults 
  • They choose what to focus on, based on what they feel is important 

Young people enjoy taking positive action: Getting stuck in feels fun and important. But helping them to learn new skills and develop kindness and empathy is just as important.

Dirt Is Good will help your young people feel that they have a role to play and that we are all united in compassion. They will go on a journey and become Changemakers for life.

Find out more about the programme's ethos & values

Programme Cycle

There are several activation days throughout the year which are designed to ensure your students feel connected to the UK and global community of schools taking part in the Dirt Is Good Schools Programme. 

Why take part?

  • Collective action: bring together groups of young people to get stuck in on a project 
  • Quality resources: access to a range of quality resources for Key Stage 2 and 3
  • Improve wellbeing: support development and improve well-being in young people 
  • Make compassion the norm: help embed a culture of compassion, care and cooperation at your school 

We will provide support:

  • Weekly drop-in sessions & bi-weekly Q&A sessions: We provide regular sessions for you to have your questions answered
  • CPD for Educators (s):  We provide ‘coach’ training to help supporting educators develop the skills and understanding of the content to best support your students
  • Dirt Is Good Handbook & Curriculum content: You will have access to session content to help you support your students get stuck in (you choose when, where and how this is delivered)

We encourage schools and youth groups to sign up that meet the following criteria:

  • Desire to engage pupils in improving the local environment
  • Capacity to commit to taking part in the programme journey
  • Equality and inclusion: We aim to have a mix of primary and secondary schools from across the country representing students from a wide range of backgrounds

Your next steps:

  • Sign up here
  • Review the Dirt Is Good Handbook and additional materials that are designed to help get you started
  • Set up your first group via the website portal
  • Begin the activities

Register to take part in the Dirt Is Good Schools Programme!

If you have any questions  please contact our Dirt Is Good School’s Programme team at Future Foundations, at: dirtisgood@future-foundations.co.uk 

As part of the Persil Dirt Is Good Project, Ashley Banjo meets young people taking action on causes they care about, inspiring others to roll up their sleeves and take part too. Watch the first episode below!