Field Notes: Youth social action and nature

Our John Muir Award Scotland Inclusion Manager Lucy Sparks reflects on the power of giving back to nature

One of the joys of my job is supporting a variety of organisations across Scotland. Each with their own focus and priorities, it’s like opening small windows into a myriad of approaches and projects, barriers and opportunities, energies and passions.

Regardless of how leaders first come across John Muir Award and whatever priority motivates them to get involved (tackling poverty, building employability skills, increasing access to opportunities…), time and again our conversations circle back to common themes that resonate widely: the importance of feeling connected to nature; the wellbeing benefits gained from spending more time outdoors; and the value for individuals, communities and natural environments of taking action to make a positive difference.

Every Award participant puts something back, leaving a wild place better than they found it. Many choose to focus on their local communities, helping both nature and people to flourish. Beach cleans, litter picks, pollinator-friendly planting, path improvements, developing community growing spaces, creating homes and food for wildlife, championing for neglected greenspaces, running repair and upcycling workshops - there is a world of good being done.

With so much fantastic activity being completed year-round, it’s not hard to appreciate the practical changes participants make happen. But it’s also worth taking a step back from time-to-time to remind ourselves just why enabling youth social action is so important.

When people take action to enhance natural environments in their communities, benefits are wide-ranging. Individuals flourish - gaining from improved health and wellbeing, new skills, social connections, increased confidence and self-worth, and the realisation of the impact they can have - of their ability to be a force for positive change. Communities also gain - not just from improvements to their neighbourhoods and thriving wildlife, but from more engagement and a mix of voices contributing on local issues. And on a national level, we contribute towards building a happier, healthier and more sustainable society.

The national #iwill campaign champions the power of youth social action, this year taking a focus on the natural environment (#iwill4nature). The campaign’s recent impact report highlights not just the variety of ways in which young people are already engaged in making a difference, but also the appetite for driving change: “The vast majority of young people are eager to make a difference in society and want to make the world a better place.” Crucially, the findings show that creating opportunities to engage in social action from a young age is key to forming habits and continuing to participate in the future.

The (John Muir Trust’s #iwill pledge) is to support 100,000 young people in social action for nature between 2016-2020. So far, we’ve supported over 122,448 people - and are not done yet. By supporting young people to participate in their communities, we help amplify their voices and nurture the skills, ideas and resilience needed to tackle problems in society. Achieving a John Muir Award can inspire young people in different ways - perhaps to work towards further Award levels, other achievement awards or to explore outdoor training, courses and careers; but also to continue to get outdoors, to enjoy nature with family and friends, and to continue to care for wildlife, wherever their lives take them. As one young Award participant put it: “I found out there is more to the world than I thought.”

We’re looking forward to continuing to build these connections and work with partners to help all young people across Scotland develop their connection with nature and feel the benefits it can bring - for their personal development, for our communities and for our wild places.

To find out more, see our (Young people and nature) web pages.

We are grateful to the Gannochy Trust for supporting our work to further inspire young people to connect with, care for and benefit from wild places through the John Muir Award over the next three years.