Who is this project for? 

Young people aged 11-16 who would like to spend time outdoors and take action for nature with a group of young people around their age. The group will be a maximum of 15 young people. 

How does this relate to mental health? 

Nature can be a great tool to support our mental health. We can sometimes feel disconnected from the world and ourselves. Spending time in nature can help us feel connected to what surrounds us, ourselves and others, and can create a sense of wellbeing. The project will offer a range of activities, all aimed to support your mental health in different ways – creating a sense of calm and safety, having fun and experiencing joy, exploring your creativity, learning new things, as well as connecting to the natural world and each other. The project will also focus on supporting you to create a youth-led project as a group to help people and nature, which can build confidence and combat eco-anxiety. 

What will the programme be like? 

 The group will be a mix of young people from Bristol and the surrounding area, so this is a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded young people in a welcoming, safe space.  

Each session will start with a group go-round where you will be invited to share your name, your pronouns and to answer a question (this may be your favourite season, if you could be any animal what would it be etc). Sessions will include nature connection, crafts and games alongside activities to build skills, knowledge, confidence and to support you to create your own environmental action project at The Ardagh. 

• 8 sessions on a Tuesday evening from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. 

• The first few sessions are likely to take place indoors in The Garden Room at The Ardagh, as it will still be dark and cold outside at that time of year. During these sessions, we’ll focus on games, nature connection, and crafts, while exploring environmental themes such as climate change, local nature, and art activism.

• An inspiration trip to a local conservation project (to be confirmed) 

• We will then plan and design a practical environmental project in The Ardagh garden and there will be several sessions focussed on putting it into action. 

• A session to celebrate your project! 

Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Everything will be an invitation and you will have the choice to not take part in everything. 

We invite you to take part in the full duration of the project so that you can enjoy nature connection, crafts, knowledge sharing and creating your environmental action project as a group! If it feels overwhelming to commit to the whole project, please let us know and we can chat through the options as we don’t want this to be a barrier to participation.  

The sessions will take place both indoors and outdoors, so please wear warm clothing and sturdy shoes and bring a waterproof coat. Please contact us if you would like support with any of these items. We will also share specific session information with you so we will let you know if you need to bring anything else. 

Accessibility 

The Ardagh is in the middle of Horfield Common. The nearest bus stops are on Gloucester Road (Ashley Down Road stop) or Kellaway Avenue (Longmead Avenue stop). There is also a car park which you can get to from Kellaway Avenue. The Ardagh is fully accessible for those with mobility issues with level access to the room we will be in and all around the site. As the evenings will be dark by the end of the first few sessions we will help you to work out the best way to get home afterwards and offer support with this if needed. 

Introduction to Action for Conservation 

Action for Conservation (AFC) is a UK-based environmental education and action charity that works with young people from diverse backgrounds, between the ages of 11-20, to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders. AFC delivers a range of programmes to inspire and empower young people, including the WildED Programme, Residential Summer Camps, the Ambassador Programme and Intergenerational Action Projects, including The Penpont Project. Find out more about Action for Conservation here: www.actionforconservation.org