Pupils from two Pembrokeshire schools will be pitting their wits and skills against other schools from across south west Wales this week, as 42 finalists pitch innovative solutions in tourism, energy, food and construction at an event at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

As the world gears up for COP30 in Brazil and the UK prepares for its next round of climate commitments, 42 young finalists aged 12-13 yrs representing seven teams across South Wales schools will gather at the National Botanic Garden of Wales on Friday, November 14 to showcase their bold solutions to pressing sustainability challenges.

Hosted by Cymbrogi Futures, the Tomorrow’s Changemakers Hackathon 2025 will see teams present ideas for a greener, fairer future.

This event, the third annual of its kind, is co-designed with leading enterprises and community partners committed to building green skills in Wales in sectors relevant to a low carbon future for Wales.

The hackathon is the culmination of a year-long curriculum-aligned programme that has engaged over 1,000 learners from Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Neath Port Talbot. Students will present solutions to ‘real-world’ challenges rooted in their own communities: sustainable tourism, energy, food, and construction.

The challenges are co-designed by Cymbrogi and its sector-leading industry partners, including the Port of Milford Haven, Cwm Environmental and Morgan Sindall. They support Wales’ Net Zero 2050 target and are inspired by the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.

Finalists will be pitching their ideas to a high-profile judging panel, including representatives from the Welsh Government, the Future Generations Commission, industry partners, climate educators and sustainability leaders in the community.

The event will also see the launch of an exciting new module focused on ‘Futures Literacy’ co-designed by the Future Generations Commission and Cymbrogi, to invite learners to ‘design their future’.

With COP30 on the horizon and the UK’s net zero targets once more in focus, this event highlights how Wales is nurturing the green skills of tomorrow. As Liza Lort-Phillips, Founder of Cymbrogi, explains: “These young people aren’t waiting for change – they’re creating it. From sustainable school design to energy and regenerative tourism, their ideas are bold, practical, and rooted in their communities. This is what education looks like when it’s connected to enterprise and purpose.”

Ian Chriswick, Director of Cymbrogi, added: "Wales has a ground-breaking curriculum that asks us to truly teach the future. But at a time when we should be hearing of its successes, we hear instead of record levels of teacher burnout and low learner morale. This programme offers a means of addressing those challenges and delivering on the curriculum ambitions in the way it was intended.”