Who is this project for?

Anyone aged 11-20 who is wanting to learn about environmental & social justice, connect with nature and take action for the climate in their city, as part of a group of young people. If you have any questions or would like to talk through anything before signing up, get in touch with our Nature Works Coordinator, Max – you can drop them an email (maxc@otrbristol.org.uk) or a text (07943756151). They will get back to you as soon as they can – they work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, usually between 9am – 5pm + Thursday mornings, so they’ll only be able to answer on those days. 

We understand that 4 months is a long commitment. We’d love for you to take part in the full programme (from February until June), as this would help with the realisation of the group’s project, but we understand that this won’t be possible/wanted by everyone. If committing to the full programme feels like too much but you would still like to get involved, get in touch with Max to talk through your involvement in the programme, as we don’t want the time commitment to be a barrier for anyone.

Who are Action for Conservation?

Action for Conservation (AFC) is a UK-based environmental youth movement committed to nature conservation and bringing the magic of nature into young people’s lives. AFC delivers a range of programmes to inspire and support the next generation of environmental leaders, including Residential Summer Camps and Intergenerational Action Projects, like The Penpont Project – AFC’s intergenerational nature restoration programme in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park in Wales, which is co-run by a Youth Leadership Group of twenty 12-18 year olds, farmers, the landowners, conservationists and the local community.

You might be able to take a trip to Penpont as part of this programme if the group chooses to! AFC works with young people aged 11-24. If this programme doesn’t feel like the right one for you but you are wanting to get involved with AFC, get in touch with Max! 

How does this relate to mental health? 

Connecting to the magic of nature and each other can create a sense of wellbeing and safety, and can help us cope with difficult feelings and experiences. This programme will focus on supporting you in building your skills, knowledge and confidence, to create your environmental action project and develop a reciprocal relationship with nature, which can help with climate anxiety, general anxiety, helplessness, loneliness and other difficult feelings.

What will the programme be like? 

• 5 weekly sessions (February 1st – February 29th) of exploring environmental topics, including climate change and art activism, getting to know each other, and connecting to nature.
• 1 Action Day trip in partnership with local environmental groups, to inspire your own environmental project. These could be at Grow Wilder (Bristol), Westonbirt Arboretum (Gloucester), The Penpont Project (South Wales), or somewhere else the group chooses!
• 3 months of meetings every other week (March-May), where we would support you in designing and realise your environmental project or campaign.
• A celebratory event to show people your project!

Each session will start with a group go-round where you will be invited to share your name and your pronouns and to answer a weekly question varying in silliness and seriousness (this may be your favourite season; if you could be any animal, what would it be, your favourite memory in nature, etc).

Sessions will include activities and games to get to know people in the group and connect to nature through crafts, games and mindfulness, alongside activities to learn about climate change globally and locally, nature conservation and environmental actions. Everything will be an invitation, and you will have the choice to not take part in any of this.

The sessions will take place at the Ardagh, in the heart of Horfield Common.

We will have a private indoor space just for our group, and the Ardagh will be closed to the public from 5 pm. The Ardagh is a charity and community project that is made out of plenty of green space, a cafe, greenhouses and wooden planters for a community plant nursery and for growing vegetables for a local food bank, a woodworking/craft sheltered area, basketball and tennis courts, and many other exciting projects!

We will have access to the whole of the Ardagh, both indoors and outdoors. Max felt inspired by the space, and they hope you will be, too 🙂

The group will be a maximum of 15 young people from Bristol and South Gloucestershire and it will be an opportunity to meet like-minded young people from your city/local region in a welcoming, safe space. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

The sessions will take place both indoors and outdoors, so please wear warm clothing and sturdy shoes and bring a waterproof coat. Please contact Max if you would need support with any of these items.

Access information:

Our indoor space at the Ardagh is a fully accessible room with wide glass doors looking out over Horfield Common. The room is accessed via a tarmac path and has level entry through sliding doors. The toilets are outside the room and accessible. The outdoor space has varying levels of accessibility – we will have access to a fully accessible lovely outdoor space with living willow arches, a covered gazebo and picnic benches accessible through a level tarmac path. The rest of the outdoor space has uneven paths and ground.

Please reach out to Max to discuss any access needs/questions so that they can support you with this and adjust sessions to the group’s access needs.

Meet the team:

Project Gallery: