ACTION FOR CONSERVATION

WE BELIEVE ALL YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD FEEL

MOVED & EMPOWERED

TO PROTECT THE NATURAL WORLD

THE BEGINNING

HOW INSPIRATION CREATED A VISION

In 2014, young conservationist Hendrikus van Hensbergen took two of his colleagues to his old secondary school to talk to young people about their work. They survived the experience and caught a glimmer of what might be possible if they inspired all young people to take up their cause.

They decided to recruit all of their friends working in conservation to do the same; visit schools, talk about what they do and encourage involvement in local groups. With the steady decline in UK wildlife, a conservation movement that felt stale and a lack of diversity in the sector, they felt it was their responsibility. Action for Conservation was born with a vision that every young person in the UK is moved and empowered to protect the natural world.

UK CONSERVATION

A SECTOR IN NEED

UK wildlife has suffered significant damage over the past 40 years, with over 50% of species now in decline. Despite this, 52% of people are unaware of the threat to biodiversity in the UK and among the public, the amount of time spent volunteering in conservation dropped by 23% between 2009 and 2014.

The RSPB believes that only 21% of children in the UK have an adequate level of connection to nature. Interestingly girls are more connected to nature than boys and urban children more connected than rural children, confounding traditional assumptions and outlining the complexity of the problem.

As children and young people lose contact with nature, they are less likely to fight to protect it as they grow older.

THE MISSION

HOW A VISION BECAME ACTION

We decided early on that to be a 'conservationist' couldn't just mean following a career as a field biologist or a campaigner. We believe that a passion for conservation can flow through anyone's life, whatever their day-job. We want to inspire today's young people to a long-term belief in the wonder of the natural world, that shapes their dreams and actions however their life turns out. Our Mission: To bring the magic of nature into young people's lives, inspiring a youth movement committed to conservation and to the earth.

The first step we took was to develop our programme of school workshops, building a structure and training young conservation professionals from around the world as workshop leaders. We have five core values that define our approach to creating the next generation of conservationists: Diversity, Wonder, Hope, Action and Change.

Working with young people from diverse backgrounds, our workshop leaders create a sense of wonder and, through their stories of hope, foster ongoing engagement. We support students in taking action on what they care about, where they live. They can also access materials, career mentoring and work experience and volunteering opportunities with our partner conservation organisations UK-wide. Young people can enter our Challenge to win a place on our all-inclusive residential conservation camps, where they connect with nature, alongside peers from across the UK. Each cohort return as AFC Ambassadors, ready to drive change.

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