The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), in partnership with Community Energy England (CEE), has launched a national fundraising campaign to increase young people’s participation in community energy projects. The initiative, Earth Raise 2026, begins on 22 April and runs for one week through the Big Give platform, which will match donations pound for pound.
The campaign addresses a gap in the energy transition. While young people show strong interest in community energy, they remain underrepresented in active projects and decision-making. CSE and CEE aim to use the funds raised to support practical engagement through workshops, mentoring, digital resources and local partnerships.
Funding will be directed towards youth-focused initiatives across the UK. This includes collaboration with schools, youth clubs and local climate groups, alongside small grants designed to support community-led activity. The programme is intended to provide both access and experience, linking climate awareness with local action.
Keith Hempshall, Director of Local and Community Empowerment at CSE, said: “When young people get involved in community energy, the benefits flow both ways. Communities gain the ideas and energy of a generation that cares deeply. Young people gain the confidence that their voice and their action actually matter.”
CSE has already been working with local organisations to build this type of engagement. One example is its partnership with the Hartcliffe Club for Young People in Bristol, where the Nature Fridays project introduces participants to climate and energy issues through hands-on activities in their local area.
Programmes such as this are designed to make energy and climate topics more accessible. By connecting learning to local environments, they aim to show how community-level action can contribute to wider climate goals while building practical skills and confidence.
Sian, who works at the club, said: “What’s been especially powerful is watching young people realise that climate action isn’t something far away or out of reach. It’s something they can influence right here in Hartcliffe. Young people deserve to feel hopeful about the future, and Nature Fridays has helped them see what an impact they can have. When they look at a space they’ve helped improve or talk confidently about what they’ve learned, you can see their sense of pride growing. Projects like this show our young people that their voices matter, their choices matter, and their community is better because of them.”
The matched funding model is intended to increase the reach of the campaign within a limited timeframe. Donations made between 22 and 29 April will be doubled through Big Give, effectively increasing the resources available to support youth participation in community energy.
Community energy projects have been gaining attention as part of the UK’s broader transition to low carbon energy systems. These initiatives typically involve local ownership or participation in renewable energy generation, energy efficiency schemes or local energy supply models. They are often seen as a way to retain economic benefits within communities while increasing public engagement in energy systems.
Despite this, participation remains uneven across demographics. Younger people, while engaged in climate issues, often face barriers to entry such as lack of access to networks, funding or technical knowledge. Campaigns such as Earth Raise 2026 are positioned as a way to address these barriers through targeted support and education.
CSE, based in Bristol, has worked on energy and fuel poverty issues for more than 45 years. Its work spans energy advice, community engagement and policy research, with a focus on ensuring that the transition to low carbon energy systems is inclusive.
The organisation views youth engagement as part of a wider effort to ensure fairness in the energy transition. As energy systems change, there is increasing focus on who participates in and benefits from new infrastructure and investment. Involving younger generations is seen as one way to build long-term resilience and public support.
Community Energy England, which represents the community energy sector, brings a national network of organisations into the campaign. Its involvement supports coordination across different regions and helps connect local projects with broader sector activity.
The timing of the campaign aligns with Earth Day, an annual event that focuses global attention on environmental issues. Fundraising campaigns linked to Earth Day often aim to convert awareness into practical action, particularly at local or community levels.
The Big Give platform, which hosts the campaign, uses a matched funding approach to encourage donations. This model has been used across a range of charitable initiatives to increase donor participation and maximise the impact of contributions within a defined period.
For CSE and its partners, the campaign is part of a longer-term approach rather than a standalone initiative. The focus on training, mentoring and local partnerships reflects an intention to build sustained engagement rather than one-off participation.
By linking funding to specific activities such as workshops and youth-led projects, the campaign aims to create clear pathways into community energy. This includes both introductory engagement and opportunities for deeper involvement over time.
The broader context for the campaign includes increasing policy and industry attention on community energy as part of the UK’s net zero strategy. While large-scale infrastructure remains central to energy planning, there is growing recognition of the role that local initiatives can play in supporting energy resilience and public participation.
CSE’s campaign highlights the role of young people within this shift. By focusing on access and involvement, it reflects a view that the transition to clean energy is not only a technical or economic process, but also a social one.
Donations to the Earth Raise 2026 campaign can be made through the Big Give platform during the campaign period, with all contributions matched for one week from 22 April.
