The RSPB Phoenix Forum is run and developed by young people for young people. The forum exists to represent the views of the RSPB’s youth membership, giving young people the opportunity to have a voice, discuss issues, engage with decision makers and contribute to improving the RSPB.
To vote please read all the manifestos published below, then send the name of the person you would like to vote for in an email to: phoenix_MB@rspb.org.uk by 26 July 2019. Please also include your name and membership number in the email.
The new members will be announced in August and they will officially join the Forum in September.
I would like to join the Phoenix Forum for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, I would like to make a difference. I know that as a forum member I would be able to make the UK a better place for wildlife. I would also love to meet like-minded people who feel as passionate about wildlife as I do. As well as that, joining the forum would provide me with invaluable experience for future careers, which I hope will involve wildlife. There are many things I want to achieve as a forum member. To me, insects are incredibly important; I want to improve the amount of wildflower spaces, and decrease the amount of insecticides used in farming. I have lots of skills and experience which include the following:• I run a debate club.• I have written for RSPB Wingbeat magazine.• I have been awarded for being top of my year group for Ethics and English.• I was a member of the global learning Club, where we raised awareness of global issues, such as deforestation.• I was on the school Eco council for over four years.• I enjoy meeting new people.
I am passionate about wildlife and volunteer at The Animal Sanctuary UK every weekend.I am hoping to join the RSPB Phoenix Forum because I believe that wildlife is very important and that more people should be aware of how and why we should protect it. I also want to meet new people, have fun and gain experience. I think that I would be a good addition to the forum as I have a lifelong passion for the care of nature and I am dedicated to helping it thrive. I am good at writing articles and have volunteered with the Chiltern Rangers, caring for wildlife whilst improving areas for people. If I were to be given a place on the Phoenix Forum, I would hope to improve the world for wildlife whilst improving my personal knowledge and building confidence. I hope to make friends in the forum and encourage others to consider wildlife in the hope that nature has a bright future.
My name is Harvey and I spent the last two years endeavouring in wild interpretation across the UK, chasing a beast across the countryside – the animal in question; the Eurasian beaver. Now beavers went extinct in Britain about 300 years ago, yet they are an ecosystem engineer, an organism that actively changes the environment, benefiting many other species. In Cornwall recently, these beavers had saved an entire species – the water vole. A rodent which has seen a 96 percent decline nationwide, that’s almost extinction, through their dam building and felling actions – creating niches in an otherwise monoculture. And I think that’s what beavers wholly demonstrate; the power of the natural world. And it reveals that ecosystems are even more complex than thought. In restoring and repairing the natural world, we are ultimately proving wrong the idea that progress is achieved through the exploitation of nature. In looking forward, to stand a chance at what the world may throw at us, we need to re-wild, repair and restore, both the biosphere and importantly ourselves - thinking bigger, louder and wider than ever before, so that we can let, boar and beast, feather and fang, run wild across the land again.
I’m a 14-year-old living in King’s Lynn. Dutch is my mother language and I already have a GCSE in it. Norfolk is a great place to live with all the exciting nature reserves. I love to search for adders in Roydon Common and see the spectacle of huge flocks of pink footed Geese flying over Snettisham at sunrise on a winter’s morning. Plastics and over consumption are a real threat to the environment, even our school grounds are covered with plastic waste. I want to tackle these problems using the forum as a springboard. The Phoenix Forum needs good public speakers, people with knowledge of the environment and with creative ideas. I am exactly that. My public speaking is proven by taking part in the national final of the magistrate’s mock trial and my knowledge of biology comes from relentless walks through nature itself. I play in 4 school bands and take part in school productions showing my creative abilities.
I'm back with another application having stepped up my wildlife advocacy game since last year: I've continued to run the birdwatching club - the highlight being another successful BSBW and bakesale, raising funds for the RSPB. I debate at an international level, which has developed my skills of persuasion, public speaking and analysis of complex problems. I attended and won the presentation award for the London geolsoc competition with a speech on alternatives to fossil fuels - proving those skills are transferable and will be an asset to the phoenix forum.I volunteer at my local RSPB hide where I have learnt a lot more about waders, and continue to interact with the public on a regular basis. Most pertinently, I am a core organiser in the Belfast Youth Strike 4 Climate movement. We have organised strikes in Belfast following the movement sparked by Greta Thunberg on climate change and have drawn considerable crowds in a heartening display of passion for the preservation of our world. This kind of public advocacy has become a large part of my life and I would love the opportunity for another platform to fight for biodiversity and a chance to collaborate with other teens who share the same goal.
Joining the forum would be an amazing opportunity for me, as I’m passionate about the world and its wildlife. When I’m older, I wish to pursue a career in ecology, zoology or conservation. I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and care deeply about the creatures in it, hence it concerns me when I see how people are damaging it. I really want to make a difference and help people love their world as much as I do, so that they too will want to make a difference.My personal efforts in making a difference are:--Creating a poster on Hen Harriers, now displayed around school.-Planning a walk around Bowland to raise awareness and funds for the Hen Harrier RSPB project.-Publishing an article on palm oil.-Constructing habitats for hedgehogs, pond-life and bugs.-Tree planting.From 2014-2018 I’ve been a scout, learning bush-craft, map reading and life skills, as a patrol leader and competing in a weekend hiking competition. I’ve also completed my Chief Scouts Gold Award. The forum would give me a wonderful opportunity to learn, experience and share different skills and opinions. It would be inspiring to be around people who also care and share the same passion.
I’m Kabir, a wildlife enthusiast based in London. I birdwatch in the capital and beyond often, and love to raise awareness about the capital’s unseen wild side. I mainly do this with the help of a map I’ve created, which has most of London’s nature reserves and wildlife sites on it. By joining the Phoenix Forum, I hope to inspire young people to appreciate the wildlife they have on their doorstep, and to show them that small changes can make a big difference. I also hope to represent the perspective of young people on a variety of topics, including how we can manage our landscape for nature, climate change affecting the country, and rewilding our cities. Finally, I would like to give young people the motivation to enjoy the natural world, and through the RSPB’s work, give them confidence and information to act to save nature.
I am 15 years old and would like to be considered for the Phoenix forum please. I would like to encourage and protect the nature and wildlife around us. I would like to raise my own ideas through the RSPB Phoenix Forum , to influence and to learn from others. I am a keen photographer, specialising in more natural shots, especially of animals. In the past I have raised and released butterflies and ladybugs, and cared for two injured birds found in our garden. I also have lots of experience looking after domestic animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and pet fish. I would love to have the opportunity to help animals in the wild. I am a teen member of the RSPCA and hope to study animal’s sciences and care at college. I have always been home educated and am currently studying for GCSEs. I love to discuss conservation issues and look for solutions, I’d also like to learn more about the political issues involved. I enjoy writing and would feel privileged to write for Wingbeat and the Phoenix Forum.
I would like to join the forum because I think the lack of interest in wildlife from many young people is an issue of huge concern. I believe we need to develop more imaginative and effective ways of involving people in wildlife and environmental issues and communicating key messages. I will use my knowledge and skills as an active wildlife volunteer and climate change campaigner to engage more young people in a way that makes them value their environment but also recognise the important role they have to play . We need to remove the negativity around wildlife issues by showing people that it can be interesting, fun and rewarding. I have many ideas which I am confidently able to put across to groups of all ages. I present regularly to groups in my local area about my wildlife work. Some main things I will focus on would be helping people understand the purpose of the climate strikes and giving other youth the confidence people to get involved in local nature activities in their communities and ‘spread the word’ through delivering talks and workshops. I will focus on helping young (non-forum) members to ensure that their voices are also heard.
I would like to join the Forum because I love nature and informing other people about it. I believe that everyone should respect and enjoy nature like I do. We should all use it sustainably as we can learn many new things from it. As a Forum member, I would like to encourage others to help wildlife and spread awareness of endangered species (of both animals and plants.) If I join the Forum, I would bring my experience of informing others about serious matters, as I am a Mental Health Ambassador for my school. I work well, both on my own and in a team, as I have completed my Baden Powell Trefoil Challenge with Guides. I am about to start the Bronze DofE. By becoming a Forum member, I would like to get more people involved in looking after nature and being aware of the current disasters in the world, such as deforestation. I would also like to become more confident with working with people I have never met before. I hope you can see how eager I am about inspiring others about nature and would be grateful if you would consider me as a possible Phoenix Forum member.
Our planet truly is amazing! I don’t mean to be cheesy but the complexity, diversity, resilience, mystery and beauty of wildlife just in the UK is mesmerising. I love bird watching and wildlife photography and would be grateful if I got to inspire other people, especially younger ones, to feel excited about nature and run for their binoculars rather than a TV remote or phone. I think that it's so important to have a connection with nature even in our busy lives. I’m sure that many people particularly at my age think that it’s not ‘cool’ to be a nature lover or don’t understand what it’s like to get excited when you see your first swift of the year over the school grounds. I want to show people that nature is cool, very cool! something that I feel isn’t emphasised enough in school. More importantly I also want to help raise awareness about the increasing importance of climate change and how we can inspire people to work together to heal our planet. In the next few years we have a chance to act and I want to act (with as much enthusiasm as possible) on the behalf of our planet.
GOOD LUCK to all our applicants! Thank you to everyone who submitted a manifesto.