Nature and climate action the focus of free five-day camp for young people

Two Mid Wales wildlife trusts will lead a free, creative, five-day camp in August to empower young people to take nature and climate action.

The wild day-camp, which takes place at The Willow Globe, near Rhayader, from August 1-5, aims to spark a debate in young people to move towards simple, community solutions that carry nature and Welsh culture into the future.

Led by Radnorshire Wildlife Trust (RWT) and Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT), the camp is for young people aged 13-24 and is funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery players and the National Lottery Community Fund through the Climate Action Fund.

The five days will be jam-packed with a variety of activities, such as bug hunting, improvisation, creative writing, bird box making and wildlife recording!

The camp is made possible by ‘Stand for Nature Wales’, a Wales-wide project looking to empower young people to take action for nature and climate.

Participants will work together to produce a show with a climate and wildlife theme that will highlight their experience during the week.

An exhibition will provide participants with a platform to share their passion for wildlife and amplify their voice about climate issues. A variety of artwork, created during the Wild Ideas events across North Powys over the past two years, will also be displayed at the exhibition.

As numbers are limited, early booking is recommended. Anyone aged 13 and over can book via RWT’s event page at: https://www.rwtwales.org/events or contact silvia@rwtwales.org .

The Willow Globe is an outdoor living theatre, surrounded by wildflower areas, woodlands and many other magical hidden places that the participants can explore in their search for inspiration.

Young people will work closely with staff members from both wildlife trusts, as well as creative director and actor, Ralph Bolland. In addition, some workshops will be led by writer and creative facilitator, Emma Beynon.

Silvia Cojocaru, RWT’s Stand for Nature Wales community officer, said: “Since working on this project, we have discovered how overwhelming it can be to talk about the climate and the ecological emergencies.

“Through this camp, we would like to give young people a platform and an opportunity to connect with the local wildlife and use that as inspiration. We all can be inspired by nature.

“I would like to believe that this is a great chance for all young people out there to materialise their imagination… and who knows, maybe inspire others.”

Dan Hodgkiss, MWT’s climate solutions officer, said: “Too often, the fate of our climate and its wildlife has been left up to today’s adults. This project is about allowing the adults of tomorrow, the ones who’ll have to live with the consequences, to speak. We can’t wait to hear what they have to say.”

The Project Stand for Nature Wales is a pan-Wales, youth climate change project with a big ambition. The five wildlife trusts in Wales have come together to tackle climate change with the help of the young people of Wales.

For the next three years, they will work to empower and inspire young people to take action for nature and wildlife in their local area in a bid to tackle climate change.

From urban Cardiff to rural Montgomeryshire, young people are standing for nature and their futures. The project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

To find out more about the project and to join RWT’s youth action group, visit: https://www.rwtwales.org/our-projects/stand-for-nature-wales . To find out more about the project and to join MWT’s youth action group, visit: https://www.montwt.co.uk/stand4nature

Picture caption:

Deri Griffiths from Radnorshire Wildlife Trust with a sweep net during invertebrate training.

Image by Chloe Jackson.