Young people in York are making a lasting, positive impact on their local environment thanks to Green Futures, a nature-based project run by Friends of St Nicholas Fields and supported by funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Community Fund.
The Green Futures project delivered 34 sessions of outdoor activities for young people aged 11+, supporting their confidence and resilience. The programme also aimed to develop practical skills and encourage pride and positive engagement with St Nicholas Fields Local Nature Reserve.
Referrals to the project came from a range of places, including schools, social workers, social media and word of mouth.
A £13,500 grant enabled the team to deliver regular outdoor sessions led by experienced facilitators. Participants took part in bushcraft activities, cooked on open fires, led litter picks, created bird boxes and feeders, and replaced graffiti with creative signage designed to educate visitors and protect wildlife.
The response from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with further sessions planned.
In recognition of their hard work and achievements, Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, presented participants with Good Citizen Awards at an event in April. Families and carers reported improvements in young people’s confidence, wellbeing and social engagement.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime said:
The young people at St Nicks are the epitome of good citizens, giving up their spare time to improve their communities and trying to encourage others to look after the area they love too.
It’s exactly the kind of project our Community Fund is designed to support, tackling anti-social behaviour and delivering positive community opportunities.
It was a real honour to present them with their awards to recognise the amazing contribution they’ve made to the area.
Anna Perrett, St Nicholas Fields said:
After an increase in anti-social behaviour, we knew we wanted to give young people the chance to lead a campaign, and to feel a greater sense of ownership and engagement with our local nature reserve.
Green Futures was our answer, helping young people be and feel more involved in the nature reserve, caring for it, exploring it, taking part in projects to improve it, and having an opportunity to make connections with one another and with nature.
Our support from the Community Fund meant we could run outdoor sessions, with experiencedfacilitators, building trust and skills and helping re-frame young people’s experiences
To find out more about the York and North Yorkshire Community Fund, visit Apply for the Community Fund - York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority – Policing, Fire and Crime Team.