A new youth programme has launched in Kent and Essex to support young people from under-represented backgrounds build careers in conservation.
The Greener Thames youth programme will also involve community outreach work, aimed at increasing engagement with groups in the region who face a variety of barriers when accessing nature, such as discrimination and a lack of physical access to green spaces.
A group of four aspiring environmentalists have now enrolled in the youth programme’s traineeship scheme, following a recruitment drive earlier this year in collaboration with socially driven outdoor groups Muslim Hikers and Black Girls Hike.
Over the next 12 months they will develop skills that will help them build a career in the environmental sector, including 4×4 driving and livestock handling. Trainees will also develop transferable skills, including public speaking and leadership training, that will help broaden their career opportunities and build confidence.
The youth programme has been set up as part of the Greener Thames Project – a £1.8 million landscape-scale conservation project that aims to restore and enhance over 1,800 hectares of wetland habitat in the Greater Thames Estuary.
The project is being funded through the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund (GRCF), and run by the RSPB in partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust, Elmley National Nature Reserve, Kent Wildfowling & Conservation Association and Kent Wildlife Trust.
Ryan Cooper Henniker, Youth Development Manager for the Greener Thames Project, said: “As someone who is mixed-race and gay, it is such an amazing opportunity to be working on this project and providing real world opportunities for people from an array of backgrounds. I hope programmes like this will ignite change across the sector, it’s going to take every community and every individual to save nature.
“It has been a real pleasure to welcome our new trainees onto the programme. Their enthusiasm for conservation and the environment, and their desire to learn new skills is incredibly motivating for the whole team.”
Hashim Rehman, Greener Thames Trainee, said: “Every working day is surreal, knowing that I’m contributing to something of this scale and importance. It’s a huge honour to be working alongside my colleagues on the traineeship and towards its objectives.”
Amelia Hursham, Greener Thames Trainee, said: “Since joining, I’ve been able to make a change in my community, as well as making friends and connections that will last a lifetime. Whilst learning real world skills that I will carry forward into my career as a scientist.”
A second part of the Greener Thames youth programme is focused on community outreach work, helping to promote young people’s voices in saving nature. The project team is looking for volunteers aged 16-20 to join a Greener Thames Youth Action Panel, which will support young people to protect and connect with nature across the Greater Thames Estuary.
Youth panel members will contribute to the work of the Greener Thames project by developing ideas and events. Members will learn more about wildlife, the environment and nature conservation through outdoor activities, and workshops led by conservation experts. They will have opportunities to contribute new ideas for getting local young people to engage with nature – particularly those from underrepresented groups. Find out more and apply to join the Youth Action Panel.
Victoria Mander, RSPB Greener Thames Project Programme Manager, said: “Spending time in nature can benefit our physical and mental health in so many ways. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same opportunities to access and engage with natural spaces, or indeed follow a career in conservation if they wish.
“We hope this traineeship scheme and youth panel will support likeminded efforts to address these issues, highlight and find ways to remove the barriers that prevent people engaging with nature, and act as a future benchmark for increasing representation across the conservation sector.”
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