In my last blog we told you about what our children get out of their involvement with the RSPB and our youth groups. This time we asked our volunteers ‘what inspired you to become a youth leader?” Read on to find out what they had to say .....
If our volunteers make you feel inspired yourself then please visit our volunteering pages and check out our current vacancies www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering.
If you have volunteered with children please do leave some comments and share with us what it was that inspired you and what makes it all worthwhile.
Adrian Slater, Leader at Boston Wildlife Explorers since 2005
“It could be said my failure with my three sons, and I don’t mean that in any bad way I am extremely proud of the three of them and the way they have turned out.
I started volunteering in 2004 with the South Lincs Local Group after I had visited the ABB at Kirton Marsh. The enthusiasm of the volunteers there showing us the Montagu’s Harriers was inspiring. The boys were at the age where they didn’t want or need dad trailing them all over the place for football and all the other activities teenagers get into, so I found myself with spare time on my hands. I joined the RSPB as a member and started volunteering with the local group at the Aren’t Birds Brilliant event.
Whilst volunteering I spent some time with like minded people, and as we chatted between visitors it became very clear, although from different backgrounds we all felt very strongly about the wonders of nature and how children didn’t seem to get the opportunity to see it. It was then that we agreed we should start up a Wildlife Explorers group and try and give children the chance to experience some of the wonders.
As a result Boston Wildlife Explorers was born, which has built up to a very successful group covering an age range of 4-16! The group meets once a month at the RSPB reserve at Frieston Shore with an average attendance of 40 young people. They are a great bunch and I am proud to share their passion for nature and conservation.
Although I was unable to pass on my interest in nature to my sons, once the next generation arrives I’ll try again! “
Megan Carroll (17), Junior Leader at the Old Moor Wildlife Explorers since January 2012
“It was a ‘who’ more than a ‘what’ which inspired me to become a junior leader.
Having been a regular at Old Moor reserve since being a Wildlife Explorer myself, I took my eight year old sister and a gaggle of her friends round for a guided tour. A member of staff who has always nurtured my love of nature spotted me, and told me about the volunteering vacancy for a junior leader with the relatively new WEx group.
The next thing I knew, my application was in the post! I wanted to give it a try because I used to love it when people older than me encouraged me in something that is perceived as very “uncool”. Being a junior leader means I can show the children how nature, in fact, is the coolest thing in the world!
I’ve loved every minute. From showing the children how to use binoculars, to creating PowerPoint presentations, to retrieving glitter and scraping half-dried PVA glue off tables, I’ve had the chance to master some practical skills and experience teamwork with the other leaders which will stand me in good stead for later life.
It’s so uplifting when you see a new member look nervously around the room at the beginning of a session, and leave with a smile on their face saying, ‘Guess what? It’s not just me, they’re all into nature too!’”
Nicole Brandon Assistant Leader in the Edinburgh Phoenix Group since June 2012
“I became a Youth Group Leader with RSPB after seeing the enthusiasm and devotion of the volunteers and young people who make up the groups. Growing up, I never had a regular opportunity to take action for the natural world that I could see suffering all around me, or a chance to make connections with others who felt my love for nature. When I saw that I could help give this opportunity to others in such good company, I jumped at the chance. The people who inspired me to join them were the volunteer leaders and teenage Wildlife Explorers who wanted to launch Scotland’s latest Phoenix group.
As one of the founding leaders with the newly-fledged Edinburgh Phoenix, I’ve been part of us coming together as a group and getting to know our new home at Hermitage of Braid nature reserve in the heart of Edinburgh. Since July, we’ve designed and built a raised garden bed with hand tools in the freezing sleet. We’ve done botanical surveys in the stiffest of breezes. We’ve sown seeds in torrential rain. We’ve learned to spark fires with flints and firesteels in the snow. We’ve even foraged for brambles on a lovely, sunny day. It has been hard work, and not everything has gone perfectly, but our group is so hardy and friendly it doesn’t need to in order for us to have a wonderful time and to make a difference to our natural world and our understanding of it.
For anyone else who missed out on these chances earlier in life, I’d suggest getting involved with RSPB Youth Groups in your local area if you can, because there’s no reason you should miss out on these chances now!”
Tina Hanak RSPB Leader with the Macclesfield Wildlife Explorers since 2005
“So how did I get involved? My two sons started attending our local Wildlife Explorers Group after I bought them RSPB membership as a Christmas gift.
The meetings were a great mix of learning about nature, playing environmental games and getting creative with clever and effective crafts. It was fantastic seeing the boys and the other children getting so much out of the meetings and I was keen to help out.
The Leaders were an impressive bunch - really effective at communicating their own enthusiasm for the natural world. Involvement in the group re-awakened the enjoyment I had discovering wildlife and wild places in my own childhood and affirmed the aspirations I had for the boys to grow up appreciating and caring for nature and the environment.
It has been incredibly rewarding to work alongside others who are equally passionate about encouraging the next generation in learning about their world. We all have different levels of knowledge and expertise but the common denominator really is enthusiasm! Macclesfield RSPB Wildlife Explorers has been going for a long time – it started back in 1986 - but the leaders were welcoming and supportive and I was made to feel a valued part of the team from the outset.
Best of all it has been a real privilege to have the opportunity to help connect children with nature. These connections make a difference and are, I reckon, our best shot at a future where nature still matters.
Show a six year old a sea anemone opening in a rockpool, their first view of a collared dove in a telescope or help them catch a grasshopper in a summer meadow and you'll understand what I mean.”
No matter what you think you are, you are always and in all ways so much more!