NEWS – New Grant Allows Groundwork To Connect More Young People With Nature
Groundwork Greater Manchester has benefited from a grant from UK educational charity The Ernest Cook Trust which will help get more young people outdoors.
The environmental and communities’ charity has been awarded the grant to help fund a new Outdoor Learning Officer role in the local trust.
Appointed in July, Janine Neville is the charities new Outdoor Learning Officer. Janine will build on Groundwork’s long legacy of engaging young people in areas of deprivation and high levels of need, expanding on young people’s interest and desire to understand and access greenspace.
James O’Farrell, Youth Work Manager at Groundwork Greater Manchester commented,
“Young people tell us they feel very disconnected to greenspaces and often view them as places they are unable to occupy. They tell us green and nature spaces are important to them, see them as an asset but feel limited in their understanding and their accessibility.
“Thanks to this funding, Groundwork is now more able to embed nature within our organisation and address young people’s needs.”
Janine has already started to run a series of programmes across Greater Manchester which engage children and young people in fun, exploratory and inspiring outdoor activities that can reduce isolation, rebuild confidence and self-esteem and connect communities. She is engaging pupils in a school setting, at youth clubs and in the wider community and hopes to further Groundwork’s work with specialist groups such as young carers.
Janine is creating a variety of nature programmes that range from short 2-hour sessions to regular weekly programmes, all of which provide a connection to nature and empower young people to be creative, improve their communication and develop critical thinking, leading to more confident and resilient citizens.
Janine has worked with young people for over 25 years and has a variety of experiences from teaching circus skills to running craft sessions. Over the past 14 years Janine has been working in the education sector, supporting students with a variety of learning needs to develop confidence in their abilities. This role has helped her to understand the variety of different needs young people have as well as the importance of wellbeing. Janine is a fully trained Outdoor and Forest School Leader, making her a perfectly rounded person for the role of Outdoor Learning Officer.
She added,
“I was excited to work with an organisation with such a great reputation for supporting the local community and share my skills and experience around outdoor education. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first few months here and have already done a lot, from harvesting berries and created tye-dye flags to dog-wood weaving.
“I am most excited about being able to make nature learning accessible to everybody and developing positive social change. By working with nature and utilising the seasons I hope to inspire young people living in outdoor urban settings to feel excited and connected with nature and themselves, recognising their contributions to their communities and their environment”
The Ernest Cook Trust is a UK educational charity committed to helping young people and their communities develop a lifelong journey of learning, appreciation and respect for the countryside through a range of Outdoor Learning experiences.
If you’d like to discuss working in partnership with us to develop a nature craft session for a group of young people you work with please get in touch by visiting the page below:
