Youth scheme inspires thousands to take climate and nature action across the New Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth
Thousands of young people act on climate change in the New Forest National Park, Southampton and Bournemouth thanks to £1.4 million scheme.
The Youth for Climate and Nature (YouCAN) scheme was launched in October 2023 to empower young people to understand and lead climate action within their communities.
During the three-year, £1.4 million partnership led by the New Forest National Park Authority, an estimated 28,000 participants were involved in climate, nature and community-based activities and projects – 10,000 of whom were aged 11 to 25. The scheme spanned across the 300 square mile area of the New Forest, Southampton, and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.
YouCAN also supported green skills and jobs, employing 46 young people under the age of 30 through full-time work or paid internships, a green careers network, and an outdoor learning programme for young people from all backgrounds to explore urban, rural, coastal and freshwater areas.
Across 43 projects and more than 700 activities, key milestones of the scheme included:
A youth-led play, Bringing the Outside In, which explored air pollution and climate anxiety, was deeply rooted in Southampton and drew inspiration from New Forest folklore. The show involved more than 150 young people who created or performed the play and was watched by more than 2,000 people – including more than 250 free tickets for young people from underserved communities.
A New Forest Youth Board set up to provide a platform for young people to influence local policy and decision-making. Since its launch, the Youth Board has had 21 members who have contributed more than 1,200 voluntary hours championing youth voice across local committees, consultations, forums and events.
A climate risks and opportunities report – produced to find out how climate change is impacting the New Forest National Park and what this is likely to mean in the future. Key findings suggest, by the end of the century, the New Forest will likely experience a summer maximum temperature increase of 3.5 degrees compared to the end of the last century, more extreme weather events and changes to concentration of rainfall in summer and winter, as explained in the animation below, also linked here:
Find out more about the report and what New Forest organisations and communities are doing to support the National Park’s rich variety of species and habitats to adapt to the changes on the way, as well as what you can do to help.
Urban Wild was Southampton’s first city-wide nature-focused festival. The main event celebration involved a free mini festival on Southampton Common featuring green and conservation groups, local music acts, and small businesses. Another highlight was Interspecies Democracy, where actors dressed as, and represented the voice of, animals in a council meeting – challenging people to think how our legal and decision-making framework can better reflect the interconnectedness of humans and the natural world.
New Forest Thrive was a one-day event which took place in Ringwood, on the edge of the New Forest National Park, celebrating both community and nature and how we can work together to help the New Forest thrive for future generations. The festival had stalls, performances and activities based on sustainability, conservation and active travel.
More than 100 junior and young adult rangers, and volunteers connected with nature, developed green skills, and built confidence and friendships through practical conservation tasks.
Young creatives were also supported to make climate and nature-based social media content through the New Forest Young Content Creators scheme. Their social media reels and photos gained more than 135,000 impressions and 5,000 engagements.
YouCAN was made possible by a £1.2 million Climate Action Fund grant from The National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK – and a further £264,000 in match funding from partners.
A further £117,000 extra funding from The National Lottery Community Fund has been secured to support legacy activities, embed learning from the programme and further maintain the partnerships established through the YouCAN scheme.
The scheme was co-ordinated by the New Forest National Park Authority in partnership with the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu; Freshwater Habitats Trust; The Parks Foundation in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Southampton National Park City project; Theatre for Life, and care and support charity Alabaré. The success of the project was measured by evaluation partner Action Hampshire.
New Forest National Park Authority member and chair of the YouCAN partnership board, James Wylor-Owen said: ‘The New Forest National Park is such an incredibly special and species-rich place, surrounded on all sides by urban communities. It was really important for YouCAN to show, and for these communities to recognise, that no matter where you live, if you are inspired by nature, you can do something to protect it.
‘We hope YouCAN is just the start and that the people who have been inspired by this scheme, that have taken part in its projects, that have learnt new green skills, and entered or furthered their green careers, will be able to go forward into their communities and inspire more climate action.
‘We hope the partnerships and the community connections that have been built by this scheme will continue to grow and thrive and that new projects will come from this.’
The Countryside Education Trust CEO, Jane Cooper said: ‘YouCAN has provided an invaluable opportunity to experiment with new ways of working with young people and helping them to grow green skills. Our funded internships have been a phenomenal success, providing a launchpad into green careers for 27 young people.
‘Working in partnership across the New Forest National Park and beyond with a range of organisations has enabled everyone here to learn new skills and make connections so that we can all work together even more effectively in the future. We are hugely grateful for the opportunity to be involved and thank all the players of the National Lottery.’
Southampton National Park City chair, Christelle Blunden said: ‘The YouCAN scheme gave us a real opportunity to develop as an organisation and to try new things.
‘Successes included the designation of a new local nature reserve, helping young people to develop projects which increase people’s safety and confidence to access the city’s parks, especially women and girls, supporting young conservationists to expand their engagement with the River Itchen, and running two successful community festivals that built links with New Forest nature and creative practitioners, helping us imagine how the city could be if we prioritised nature and wellbeing.
‘We look forward to the next year, working towards Southampton achieving full National Park City status with the support of the additional funding.’
Theatre for Life artistic director, Michelle Smith said: ‘Being part of YouCAN has been an extraordinary opportunity to empower young people to explore the climate crisis through creativity, storytelling and performance.
‘What made this project so special was seeing young people grow in confidence, find their voices and realise that their stories have the power to inspire change. By combining theatre, environmental youth action and wellbeing, we created a safe and inclusive space for young people from diverse backgrounds to express their concerns, connect with nature and imagine a more hopeful future.
‘Reaching audiences of more than 2,000 people demonstrated the power of the arts to bring communities together and spark important conversations. We are incredibly proud of what these young people have achieved and hope the creativity, confidence and connections developed through YouCAN will continue to inspire positive action long after the project has ended.’
The Parks Foundation Young Adult Ranger programme lead, Lisa Avisoa said: ‘This project gave our charity a unique opportunity to engage with more than 60 young people, enabling them to gain green skills, make connections with peers and local organisations, and build confidence in themselves to make future steps into a career in nature conservation.
‘We will learn from the foundations set through the YouCAN scheme and strengthen the connections with the wider youth skills network to further build our Young Adult Ranger programme.’
Watch the YouCAN highlights video below or via this link.
Find out more about YouCAN and read the full reports and stories from throughout the scheme here.
ENDS
About the partner organisations:
Alabaré:
We are a charity supporting young people, homeless adults, veterans, vulnerable, and marginalised people. We help them transform their lives, providing accommodation and helping them gain the skills, confidence and opportunities to live a fulfilled life.
Countryside Education Trust:
Established in 1975, The Countryside Education Trust’s mission is to connect people with the countryside. We introduce people to the wonders of the British countryside, rural life and farming. Our expert teaching team tailors national curriculum-based modules to the needs of each school and we have great feedback from our visitors.
Freshwater Habitats Trust:
Freshwater Habitats Trust’s aim is to protect freshwater life for everyone to enjoy. We deliver our conservation aims through our expert staff and our conservation, community, research and policy.
New Forest National Park Authority:
We are responsible for conserving and enhancing the New Forest and promoting understanding and enjoyment of the things that make it special. We are the local planning authority for the National Park. As well as our nature conservation and visitor information responsibilities, our services include education, recreation and archaeology.
The Parks Foundation:
Our charity works to improve local parks and greenspaces across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole for the benefit of people and nature.
We want to create inspirational parks that improve people’s health and wellbeing, reconnect people with nature and bring diverse communities together.
Southampton National Park City project:
The Southampton National Park City project wants to create more spaces that are safe to play in and where nature can flourish – a city where people, culture and nature work together.
https://southampton-national-park.com
Theatre for Life:
Theatre for Life is an arts organisation working with marginalised groups, NHS, Solent Mind charity, educational providers & the wider community through specialist creative and health programmes.
We make theatre with the community for the community, with a strong focus on shared experiences and improved physical and mental health.
About The National Lottery Community Fund:
We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.
We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.
As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:
- Come together
- Be environmentally sustainable
- Help children and young people thrive
- Enable people to live healthier lives.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4bn of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK – the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.