Avon and Gloucestershire’s Our Bright Future project worked with schools and youth organisations across the two counties and its aims were for young people to develop skills and experience for employment in a greener economy and to improve green spaces for people and wildlife.
  • More than 9,500 young people engaged with the project through wildlife sessions designed to improve their connection to nature
  • 439 young people gained a total of 1,317 certificates AQA Unit Award Scheme
  • Work experience and young volunteers gave young people access to conservation skills on reserves and green sites
Avon and Gloucestershire’s Our Bright Future involved young people of all ages through a wide variety of activities and events, these three blogs written by young people give a flavour of this. Learn more about Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s ‘Bulbtober’ event in 14 year old Emma’s blog, learn more about water use in Rebecca’s blog and read about Milly’s experience as an intern at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
“I love being a part of the Avon Wildlife Trust’s youth forum as I’ve not had access to such an enthusiastic network of people interested in conservation/ the green movement before. I’m also really enjoying the talks by the professionals and more experienced people that come on to the meetings and share their stories with us, this is super inspiring for me and has spurred me on to keep aiming in this direction. I’m also really grateful for the potential CV improving aspect of being in the youth forum. I think without the youth forum I would struggle to break into this sector. For these reasons I sincerely think that such privileges and opportunities like this should continue and be extended to other young people, as there is an increasing interest in ecology, conservation and green change in the younger generations. The youth forum gives us a space to grow and develop together!”
As a legacy of Our Bright Future, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has created a school’s toolkit (11-16) and a toolkit for young people (16+). These toolkits provide guidance for young people and their teachers on developing wildlife areas in schools and communities including skills which will support young people should they move into a job in the environment sector in the future.
You can learn more about Avon and Gloucestershire Our Bright Future by downloading the project evaluation report.