Action for Conservation
Inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders
Action for Conservation works with young people aged 12 to 24 from diverse backgrounds across England and Wales, helping them fall in love with the living world and take action to protect it. It believes a passion for nature can run through anyone’s life, whatever their future job.
Its programmes are free and hands-on. Young people take part in nature sessions at school, spend five days at camp in a National Park, then go on to lead projects, campaigns and restoration work alongside farmers, ecologists and local communities. Each step builds skills, confidence and friendships.
Young people leave with a lasting connection to nature and the confidence to speak up for it. Many go on to lead projects in their own communities, take on paid ranger roles or join the charity’s board as Youth Trustees, helping to shape the landscapes they will inherit.
2021
Year they joined the Raise Your Hands platform
726
Children and Young People supported last year
Why they’re needed
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and the young people who will inherit it often worry about its future. Many feel anxious about the environment and powerless to change it, while having few chances to spend real time in nature close to home.
Time spent outdoors tends to drop sharply in the teenage years, just as young people are forming their sense of who they are. Access to good green space is also uneven, and young people from marginalised and minoritised communities are among those with the fewest chances to enjoy it.
Young people care deeply and have bold ideas, yet they are too often left out of decisions about the land and wildlife around them. Action for Conservation gives them the knowledge, support and real opportunities to turn that care into action, today and throughout their lives.
How they do it
The free WildED programme brings a series of nature sessions into state secondary schools and youth groups in London and the South East, Bristol and South Wales, and Manchester and the North West. Students visit inspiring community nature sites, then plan and deliver their own legacy projects, from tree planting to wildlife gardens and ponds.
Each summer, young people aged 12 to 16 can apply for a free five-day residential camp in the Pembrokeshire Coast, Peak District or South Downs National Parks. Camps combine conservation activities, careers advice and adventure. Afterwards, young people can join the year-long Ambassador Programme, with action days, online events, one-to-one support for their own projects and chances to speak at conferences and consultations.
Ambassadors can go further, joining Youth Leadership Groups or serving as Youth Trustees. At intergenerational nature restoration projects in Wales, Derbyshire and Bristol, young people work alongside farmers, landowners, ecologists and local residents to restore habitats such as woodland and wetland. At the Penpont Project in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, paid Youth Rangerships offer hands-on training in restoration, forestry and regenerative farming.
Find out more about Action for Conservation’s amazing work
Angélica’s Story
Angélica was 12 when she went on her first Action for Conservation camp. Bird ringing became her favourite memory, and the experience sparked a love of conservation that has stayed with her ever since. She went on to become an Ambassador, taking action for nature from her home in Liverpool.
She later joined a Youth Leadership Group while living with severe social anxiety. She says the staff created a safe space that let her keep working on projects, and she believes their support helped her anxiety improve.
Today she is part of the Heartwood Youth Leadership Group near Matlock, where young people have built a pond, planted trees and helped restore peat bog, the work she finds most meaningful.
Support Action for Conservation along with 15 other children’s charities
Action for Conservation is one of a portfolio of small UK children’s charities championed by Raise Your Hands. When you donate to us, your gift is shared equally between every charity in the portfolio.
One donation. 16 small charities. 16 ways to change a young life.
