A new youth engagement initiative has given young people the chance to share their views on the UK’s plans for a Geological Disposal Facility.
Nuclear Waste Services, working with Arup and The Young Foundation, established the National Youth Forum on Geological Disposal.
By involving young people and increasing their understanding of GDF, NWS said it would listen and learn from their valuable insight and views.
Over the past year, the partnership has worked with 12 young people who formed the first National Youth Forum.
Ali Beard, NWS siting and communities project manager, led the forum
Ali said: “It’s been a pleasure to support our first youth forum. Bringing young people into the project to hear their views and inform our approach is invaluable to us and supports the development and skills of these talented young people.
“For them to have gone from knowing nothing about geological disposal to being able to present to an international audience of industry professionals is exceptional.”
The forum began by asking: What do young people know, and what questions do they have, about nuclear waste and GDF?
From there, participants explored different perspectives; from the sceptical community member to the future resident living near a facility. This approach opened valuable conversations about engagement, future-proofing, and contingency planning.
Activities included a presentation to international stakeholders, including representatives from Japan, as part of a Nuclear Energy Agency webinar on youth engagement in GDF siting processes worldwide.
Anton Schultz, social value delivery manager at Arup, said: “This pilot marks an important step toward building inclusive, representative approaches to youth engagement and bringing future generations’ perspectives into the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility programme.
“Arup is proud to collaborate with NWS, The Young Foundation, and the young people themselves in shaping the National Youth Forum. We’re excited to continue supporting its evolution.”
Siân Whyte, interim co-director of research at The Young Foundation, said: “We know that the way to navigate complex, long-term challenges is to be more open, transparent and involving of the people for whom those challenges do – or will – directly affect.
“The rising engagement and involvement of young people in this issue through the National Youth Forum is an important step in building a more participatory approach to a critical national issue.”
What is a GDF?
A Geological Disposal Facility is an underground site designed to dispose of some of the most dangerous and destructive high-level radioactive waste safely.
Made up of a series of protective vaults and tunnels, a GDF gives the waste a place to be sealed away from humans forever.
GDFs are widely considered the best available technology for the long-term storage of waste by scientists and are being built across the world.
The facilities aim to protect the environment and remove the cost and burden of storing radioactively waste from future generations.
How close is Cumbria to getting a GDF?
Cumbria has been in the running to host an underground facility to store nuclear waste for several years now.
Work to find a suitable site for a geological disposal facility – or GDF – is a long process and the facility itself, if built here, would be ready to store waste in the 2050s.
