Meet the Team: Youth Engagement Coordinator Katie Barrow

The New Forest National Park Authority is made up of a diverse team of people, with different backgrounds, skills and roles, all working together to care for the National Park. From protecting its unique landscapes and wildlife to helping people understand and enjoy the Forest and supporting local communities, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

We spoke to Youth Engagement Coordinator Katie Barrow to find out about her role and what she loves about working in the New Forest.

• Tell us about your role at the New Forest National Park Authority and what it involves?

My role is Youth Engagement Coordinator for the New Forest National Park Authority, within the Education and Youth Team. This involves working with young people, to enable them to get outside in nature, supporting them to enjoy and subsequently care for the National Park. There can be all sorts of reasons for our programmes with different young people. Generally we aim to ensure they have fun with other young people, whilst learning about the special qualities of the New Forest how they might take some action for climate and nature in their communities.

• What does a typical day look like for you?

My working days are extremely varied. I meet with all sorts of different young people, at different sites, with different aims.

A typical day for me looks like this:
 I arrive at the office early to pick up a van, which I packed the day before with all the interesting educational and welfare-related resources we might need;
 I travel to the site where we’ll be working, this is likely to be one of the big carparks in the Forest which have space and toilet facilities, perhaps Bolderwood, Whitefield Moor, Lepe Beach, Wilverley Plain or Blackwater Arboretum;
 I go on a short speedy walk, to recce the route which I plan to take with the group later, making sure it’s safe and getting the final touches of my plan straight in my head;
 Then I’ll pack the rucksack, full of all the intriguing props which I might want to show the young people, as well as the essential first aid kit;
 The group arrives to meet me and hopefully we’re all excited to get going;
 Once we’ve completed our introductions, safety briefing and a quick game to settle initial anxieties, we’ll set off on our walk;
 We move at a slow pace, with lots of interactive stops, pointing, chatting and weaving in gentle activities, to open eyes, minds and hearts to some of the magical features of the Forest;
 There will be a lunch break back at the starting point, probably sitting on a picnic blanket in a shaded spot, making the most of a fully immersive day;
 Then we continue with the afternoon section, which is either another short walking route to take in some more attractions, or activities in situ like a little pick, or time for some art in nature;
 After the minibus leaves, hopefully with waving smiley tired young people, I’ll head back to the office to unpack the van and catch up on a couple of emails.

 On another typical day, I would arrive at the office later, work on the admin which accompanies delivering these programmes and have meetings with colleagues to map out plans for future delivery.

• What’s your favourite thing to teach people about the New Forest?
Honestly, I really enjoy variety, so it’s fab that I get to explore lots of different habitats. I do love to inspire interest in the small things and the wildlife that people might otherwise pass by – the trees, mosses and lichens, ferns and heather. The area where I feel most knowledgeable is the coast, so if I had to choose one favourite topic it would be the intertidal discoveries on our wonderful shorelines.

• What’s a New Forest fact that surprises people?
One of the concepts we often mention is the amazing adaptions of plants and animals to survive and thrive in their niche environment. A great example of this in the Forest is how our Holly trees vary the prickliness of leaves, according to their height on the tree and whether they are therefore likely to be reached by native herbivores. We normally demonstrate this with a game where we pick up and compare number of prickles on a leaf and people of all ages find this fascinating.

• Is there a particular species, landscape, historic feature or aspect of the Forest that you have a soft spot for?
Who doesn’t love a brand new little donklet?! The baby donkeys, with their big fluffy fringes, are the cutest. Even so, I can’t help but have a real soft spot for the pigs. They’ve always been my favourite land animal, delightful in my eyes, they perform an important job in the Forest and I look forward to the joy of suddenly coming across a team of pigs, snuffling up snacks, in the beautiful autumn surroundings.

• What’s your ideal way to spend a day in the New Forest?

Whilst I’m enchanted by a mystical woodland pathway, mosses coating ancient trunks and dappled canopies overhead, I’m a marine bean and my natural instincts are for the beach. An ideal day for me would be spent on my local shoreline, from the shingle at Calshot. A long swim, followed by a picnic and getting my paints out, losing myself in the sound of the lapping waves and views over the Solent.

Find out more about the New Forest National Park Authority Education and Youth Team and how they support young people in the New Forest.