T hank you for taking interest in our charity!
We’re so happy that you want to spread the word about Kids Against Plastic. Below are a selection of biographies and photos of our work to use – please credit where stated.
Long Biography
Meet Amy and Ella Meek, aged 20 and 18, founders of the youth-run, youth-focussed charity Kids Against Plastic (KAP).
Amy and Ella founded KAP in early 2016 at age 12 and 10, with a bold vision – to empower young minds to become agents of change on environmental issues close to their hearts, all while building essential skills and confidences. What began as a small social action campaign has grown into a movement of young people around the world.
The KAP Club, the heart of the charity, has a membership of over 280 young people, who share their passion for bringing about positive environmental change. The club provides an inclusive platform for aspiring changemakers to not only learn about issues facing the planet, but also take the lead in starting their own environmental action and even crafting their own youth campaigns – including the KAPtat and the 1 Million Pick-Up initiatives, run by youth members and supported by KAP.
Alongside the charity’s youth work, KAP’s Plastic Clever scheme – which aims to foster a smarted approach to single-use plastic usage – has grown to engage more than 1800 schools, alongside cafes, businesses, festivals, and many more sectors. And Amy and Ella, along with their family, have picked up over 100,000 pieces of plastic litter, alongside developing a litter logging app in collaboration with Esri to track and calculate collections done globally as part of the charity.
Throughout the years running KAP, Amy and Ella have been passionate advocates for youth participation and the urgency of environmental action – they’ve spoken at all three parliaments in the UK, at TEDx Exeter and TEDx Geneva, and addressed the United Nations youth summits. Their work has been recognised with the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, the Pride of Britain 2021 Green Champion Award, and a British Empire Medal (BEM) as part of the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
Short Biography
Amy and Ella Meek, aged 20 and 18, are the founders of Kids Against Plastic (KAP), an environmental education charity. Starting KAP in 2016 at just 12 and 10 years old, their mission is to empower young minds to tackle environmental issues while building skills and confidence. What began as a small campaign has evolved into a global movement inspiring youth.
At the core of KAP is the KAP Club, with over 280 members and counting, providing a platform for young change-makers to lead their own environmental initiatives, including KAPtat and 1 Million Pick-Up campaigns. KAP’s Plastic Clever program has also engaged over 1800 schools, businesses, and festivals, encouraging smarter single-use plastic practices.
Beyond the charity’s work, Amy and Ella have picked up over 100,000 pieces of plastic litter and developed a litter logging app with Esri. They’ve been passionate advocates, speaking at UK parliaments, TEDx events, and UN youth summits, and have been recognized with the Points of Light Award, Pride of Britain 2021 Green Champion Award, and a British Empire Medal.
Individual Biographies
Amy Meek [278 words]
Along with her younger sister Ella, Amy launched an award-winning campaign, now charity, called Kids Against Plastic (KAP). KAP has a bold vision – to empower young people to become agents of change on environmental issues close to their hearts, all while building essential skills and confidences for their futures.
In the years since Kids Against Plastic’s launch back in 2016, Amy has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the negative effects of petroleum plastic on the environment, and empower others to take action to combat it. Kids Against Plastic now has a team of over 280 young people around the world as part of the KAP Club built around empowering kids through environmental issues, and the Plastic Clever scheme has had over 1800 schools and numerous cafes and businesses involved since its launch in early 2019. Plus, the girls have collected over 100,000 pieces of plastic litter along the way, alongside developing a litter logging app with mapping agency Esri.
Through her work, Amy has spoken to young people around the world, ministers in all three Parliaments in Great Britain, business conferences internationally from Seoul to Barcelona, and diplomats and young people at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. She is also a two-time TEDx speaker, speaking firstly at TEDx Exeter alongside her sister in 2018, and most recently at TEDx Geneva 2021. Amy and her sister have been recognised for their charity with the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, the Pride of Britain 2021 Green Champion Award, and even a British Empire Medal (BEM).
Alongside the charity, Amy also co-authored the books Be Plastic Clever and Be Climate Clever.
Image credit: Gomes Photography
Ella Meek [181 words]
Ella is a campaigner for the reduction of plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways, having started her activism journey at only 10 years old. She co-founded the environmental charity Kids Against Plastic with her sister Amy back in 2016, having discovered the devastating impact disposable plastics are having on the planet. Their youth-led charity has received international recognition through its work to discourage usage of single-use plastics, and Ella has spoken at events around the world (including the UN Geneva in 2019, and TEDx Exeter in 2018). The girls have also developed their own Plastic Clever scheme, which has been adopted by over 1300 schools and numerous cafes and businesses around the UK, and have picked up over 100,000 pieces of plastic litter.
Ella is an animal lover through and through, with seeing the horrific pictures of animals entangled in plastic being one of the key reasons for her passion in tackling plastic waste. Outside of her campaign work, she’s also a presenter, previously working on the Sky Kids news show FYI and currently on the EcoFlix original ‘The Pulse’.
Image credit: Young Activists Summit
