2021 has been another uncertain year for everyone, but our youth forum members haven’t let that stop them from achieving a whole heap of amazing things for nature! From marching at the Global Day of Action to digging a pond – we’ve done it all!

Let’s take a look back at what 2021 looked like for us!

Project launch

We kicked off the project with a bang on 22^nd April with our official launch day. The day saw young voices amplified through video across The Wildlife Trusts channels. We heard just how important Stand for Nature Wales is to the young people who are involved. Not only that, our launch video was premiered aimed to call on the young people of Wales to take a stand for nature.

The Game Change Project

The team at Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust have been busy since April by taking learning outdoors in collaboration with the Game Change Project in Newtown. Once a week the team have been able to provide a range of outdoor activities, all designed to empower and inspire whilst also providing skill building opportunities to young people. They’ve been delving beneath the surface with a spot of river life ID, learning vital bushcraft skills as well as pond creation to name but a few!

Rain gardens in Newport

The Gwent Wildlife Trust youth forum proved just how incredible nature is at combating the effects of climate change by creating a rainwater garden at Eveswell Community Centre with the help of the Greening Maindee Team. They had to do everything from logistics and planning to digging and plant shopping! Flooding is a big issue in towns and cities and so we hope that this demonstration project can show others how they can take the pressure off the overloaded and antiquated drainage system in Newport. 

Seeing nature in action

The North Wales Wildlife Trust youth forum have had a busy year, from creating informative videos in the run up to COP26 to having their voices heard in a pre-COP event in London! All that hard work deserved recognition, so the forum had an incredible weekend visit to Cors Dyfi and the Centre for Alternative Technology in mid-Wales. They saw the true potential of nature based solutions to climate change whilst visiting the beaver enclosure and hearing all about the amazing Welsh Beaver Project.

Giving nature a voice in Cardiff

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ youth forum in Cardiff headed to the streets to send a message to world leaders during COP26. There was an incredible turnout, with over 1000 people in the biodiversity block alone – all passionate about natures role in combating climate change. With handmade placards – all made from recycled materials of course – they caused quite the stir!

Young people of Powys channel their creative side

It was a creative and fun-filled summer for young people in Powys! Radnorshire Wildlife Trust and Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust ran a series of incredible creative workshops, giving young people a chance to channel their creative side. From creative writing, film making, printmaking and even improvisation – all with a nature and climate change theme. Next year we hope to see these workshops transform into a week-long residential where the young people will produce, stage and perform a piece of drama – watch this space!

Dolphin watching with Coast and Country

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ youth forum based in New Quay made a splash on ITV’s Coast and Country this summer. They started the day as all days at the beach should - with a beach clean! They chatted to Ruth Dodsworth about the Stand for Nature Wales project and what their doing in Ceredigion. From litter picking to campaigning for our oceans, the young people have been busy! They finished the day with a boat ride for a spot of dolphin watching, much to the delight of the young people and camera crew alike we spotted a whopping 20 dolphins!

What would a WILD Wales look like?

Ahead of COP26 we ran a climate change art competition, where we invited young people aged 9 – 24 to imagine what Wales could look like if nature was given a chance to thrive. We had over 80 entries of all mediums, from paintings to pottery! We had a star-studded judging panel including BBC Radio 1’s Sian-Eleri, actor David Oakes and Gwent-based artist Tracey-Ann Sitch. After lots of deliberation, they picked two worthy winners, one of which was a member of our Radnorshire youth forum!

2022 is set to be another busy year for the project, from our first-ever Youth Summit to national campaigning! Keep your eyes peeled on our social media for more project updates.