Nature-based Youth Project Seeks New Cohort of Participants

We are searching for committed 13-17 year olds with a passion for nature to join us this September to take part in our exciting environmental youth project, the Nature in Harmony Exchange Project.

What is the project about?

Created in partnership with the Corcovado Foundation from Costa Rica, this project provides opportunities for youth and young adults to develop their local and global environmental and ecological knowledge and to learn new skills.

Young people from Andover have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and understanding of ecology and conservation through wildlife surveying and developing their own mini-projects, connected to nature and tailored to their own interests. They will discuss wider environmental issues such as sustainability, climate change and the mitigating need for trees, as well as gaining volunteering experience, training, enjoyment and enhanced well-being.

Through communication between the young people from Andover and the young people from Drake Bay, participants will be able to share and compare their findings with each other, develop friendships and learn more about the differences and similarities between our environments, lifestyles and cultures.

What will be gained from taking part?

Knowledge, skills, experience: Since it’s creation in 2020, young people have been meeting with our project leaders (who are experienced in ecology and conservation, archaeology, and in working with young people) in Harmony Woods once a month to learn about ecology, woodland management, species identification and more. In the process, they are gaining transferable skills such as public speaking, event planning and teamwork.

Participants have shared their knowledge with a corresponding youth team in Costa Rica, in the hope that one day they could meet in real life . This ambition was achieved last month (July 2022) and what an adventure was had, blog posts can be found here.

Network opportunities: Andover Trees United is well connected to national and international environmental organisations, and it is our mission to help young people succeed by presenting them with opportunities, training courses and support. Not only that, but the young people involved will automatically join the ATU Youth Team, a Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots affiliated group, and as a result can benefit from further invaluable opportunities in the environmental sector.

Wellbeing: Previous participants have experienced benefits to their mental well-being, happiness and confidence, as well as making new like-minded friends.

How does the project work?

This project is run entirely by volunteers. Our project leaders put a huge amount of their time into ensuring the experience is well-run, and is a valuable and enjoyable experience for the young people involved. It is also free of charge.

Even though there are no membership fees, we still need to know that those young people taking part are respectful and committed. Therefore, they will be expected to attend a minimum of 9 out of 12 monthly sessions, and 9 out of 12 online catch-up sessions across the year. Part of the project is to encourage volunteering and participants will therefore be expected to volunteer at events, practical work sessions, behind the scenes, giving presentations or any other help that the young people would like to offer.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

•Monthly activities in Harmony Woods focusing on woodland management, ecology, and conservation. These are always 10am - 12pm on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

•Monthly online catch-up sessions (these will not be any longer than 1 hour). These are usually after school hours.

•Work on your own mini research project throughout.

•Exchange communication with young people from Costa Rica.

•As a member of the ATU youth team, you are required to volunteer additional time at other ATU events or workdays. There is a practical volunteering session in the afternoon of the 2nd Saturday of the month, it is always appreciated when the youth team stay on into the afternoon to lend a hand. There is a huge range of additional volunteering opportunities to get involved in.

Year 1 - Gain a Junior Forester’s award & John Muir Discovery award.

Year 2 - Support year 1 participants and gain experience organising ATU events.

End of year 2 - Potential to volunteer in Costa Rica.

How do I sign up?

To sign up, you must first email us at alex.marshall@andovertrees.org.uk requesting an expression of interest form and return the form by Sept 10th. If you do not receive a reply from Alex, for whatever reason - please use our contact form instead.
We recommend that you join us at our AGM event on September 10th 2022, this is an opportunity to meet the team including your fellow youth team.
After Sept 10th, we will email all prospective participants our Application Form, we will then allocate places on a first come first served basis. Spaces are limited so it is really important that you get your application form returned to us as soon as possible. If you are having technical issues such as adding signatures to a pdf, please don’t worry, just let us know, you will still be accepted! :)
We will let you know if you have a place or if you have been added to our waiting list. People on the waiting list get first refusal for the following year’s cohort, or may be contacted later in the year if someone else drops out.
Your first proper session will be in Harmony Woods on the 8th October 2022, 10am -12pm.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

If you miss the deadline, don’t worry - it is definitely worth still sending us an email to enquire if there are spaces available on the project.

Can I still get involved even if I cannot commit to 9 sessions?

If you are unable to commit to the 9 sessions this means you cannot commit to the Exchange Project, however, this does not mean you cannot join the ATU youth team. You can still join ATU as a regular, youth volunteer, and you will benefit from everything stated above, you just will not have the monthly woodland ecology sessions or the opportunity to volunteer in Costa Rica.

If you have any other questions, email us at alex.marshall@andovertrees.org.uk

Hope to see you soon! :)