Living Lab kicks off this year's climate resilience projects with student grant launch

York St John University’s award-winning Living Lab is stepping up its work on climate resilience with new student-led projects, a People’s Assembly on activism, and a dedicated space on campus.

Part of our Institute for Social Justice, the Living Lab brings together students and staff to embed ecological justice across the University. Each theme runs for several years, with past projects tackling air pollution through Learning at the Junction and food sustainability with Feeding the Campus. Since 2024, the focus has been climate resilience, exploring how we prepare for, respond to and recover from climate-related events.

Friendly Living Fund

This month sees the return of the Friendly Living Fund, offering students up to £400 to develop practical projects that address the cost-of-living crisis while building climate resilience. Previous initiatives have included sustainable period products, creative upcycling, vertical farming and community composting. Students can also join the fund’s committee to help shape future projects.

Liv Webb, recent Drama graduate and Living Lab Graduate Intern 2025, organised the Friendly Living Fund launch and has been behind rallying a student-led committee to manage the fund: 

“The Friendly Living Fund Launch event featured insightful lightning talks from York Community Energy and The Soil Association, highlighting innovative ways to utilise the fund. Previous recipients also presented their projects, sharing the positive impact of their initiatives and the importance of student action on campus.  

“The event marked the official opening of the second round of the fund and included guidance on the application process and opportunities to join the Friendly Living Fund Committee, and an overview of its role.  

“Attendees also enjoyed a climate-themed cook off activity and refreshments, celebrating community collaboration, sustainability, and the continued growth of the Friendly Living Fund!”  

The Friendly Living Fun is now open to students to apply for up to £400 Friendly Living Fund.

People’s Assembly

On Thursday 27 November, the Living Lab hosts a People’s Assembly on Student Activism in the Holgate Dining Room Annexe from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, with free food provided. The assembly will feature lightning talks from student leaders and staff, including Ann-Maria Mafura, President of YSJSU; Nick Coakley, Director of Estates at York St John University, and representatives from the Amos Trust and FemSoc. The talks will be followed by group discussions and a vote on next steps.

Dr Cath Heinemeyer, Senior Research Associate in Ecological Justice, Senior Lecturer in Arts, said: “The People’s Assembly is all about how the campus can best support leadership and activism of all sorts by students, on a range of issues including climate and environment, justice and equity. We are very interested in this at present as we are developing our own shared space on campus for students to meet and lead on campaigns or climate resilience solutions.” 

 Join the People’s Assembly on Student Activism. Earlier on the same day the team will have a workshop with the Amos Trust on Women Land Defenders: Imagining New Worlds. The workshop invites participants to explore the stories of women land defenders from Mexico and Central America, connecting their experiences to the climate crisis. It takes place in QE106, 12pm to 1:30pm, contact c.heinemeyer@yorksj.ac.uk to attend. 

Living Lab campus space

The Living Lab now has a fixed home on campus thanks to dedicated student efforts. Earlier this year, students engaged in the Living Lab researched and presented a case for an official Living Lab space on campus. It was deemed an important step in embedding ecological justice on campus and the student-led proposition wanted to offer students a space where fun, meaningful action could occur.  

Thanks to the proactive, positive drive of these students,  the Living Lab is now an official occupier of the Future You space (formerly Launchpad) in the Holgate building. This is a shared space with wider University teams. And, to ensure the space is truly student-led, two interns, Poppy Chapman and Luciana Medrano-Urioste, are in post to oversee student engagement. 

Poppy said: "I’ve only just begun my internship with the Future You Space this month, but it’s already given me a glimpse into an environment full of creativity, support, and opportunity. Over the next year, I’m excited to learn more about the projects taking shape, develop new skills, and contribute in ways that help young people imagine and build their futures. What interests me most about this opportunity is the chance to grow while being part of a community that values curiosity, collaboration, and fresh ideas"

Luciana said:   

“As the Living Lab Space Facilitator Intern, this opportunity that excites me in many ways. I applied for this internship to gain some extra experience before facing the working world, but I now know that it is so much more than that. I get to work closely with, and learn from, people who are also very immersed in social and climate justice, and participate in projects that inspire me and improve me. I hope that in this year the Future You space gets a lot more visibility and engagement across the students because it really is a great project that benefits us all”  

Students from across disciplines are shaping the Lab’s work. Interior Design students have submitted proposals to make Future You welcoming and functional, while Marketing students are running campaigns for initiatives like Wild Wednesdays. Occupational Therapy students are exploring land justice, and Business students are researching local organisations contributing to climate resilience.

Upcoming events include Living Lab CRAFTERNOON on Tuesday 2 December, where participants can create patches reflecting climate justice, and ROOTSTOCK on Wednesday 10 December, a nature connection workshop exploring the lore of the Yew and Yarrow.

The Living Lab Working Group also meets on alternate Tuesdays from 1pm to 2pm in Future You and is open to all.

Watch the Living Lab mid-project video introduction on YouTube.