Since 2015, the RSPB has been working with Girlguiding in regions across England to inspire more young people to deepen their love of nature and feel empowered to save it. This Great Big Green Week, Yvonne Hunt, our Youth Partnerships Officer, shares some of the highlights of our partnerships so far, and some ideas for how you can join the movement to save nature this week and every week!
Great Big Green Week is a UK wide celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. In recent years we’ve seen young people at the forefront of this action, whether it’s creating new havens for wildlife in a garden or street, or campaigning on an international stage. This ambition and passion to save the natural world is also at the heart of our growing partnership with Girlguiding regions and this week Girlguiding members in these areas will be taking action to fight the nature and climate crisis.
I’m passionate about getting people into nature at a young age – if we connect with nature it’s a lot more likely we will want to protect and conserve it. I know that from personal experience. I still remember at the age of 13 getting involved with a rainforest project at school, probably the first time I had heard about these diverse and exciting habitats (which I now know can also be found in the UK). The inspiration this gave me led to me joining my local conservation volunteers and Friends of the Earth group, and some years later ultimately ended up with me working for the RSPB!
Girlguiding’s research shows that climate change and the climate crisis is something that girls and young women are very concerned about; almost two-thirds (64%) of girls and young women surveyed throughout Northern Ireland and England in their recent Girls’ Attitude Survey said they often worry about climate change. They also found that over 1 in 10 (11%) girls and young women aged 11 to 21 chose climate change as the issue most important to them.
The Girlguiding programme encourages girls and young women to make a difference and get their voices heard, and equally at the RSPB we want to empower more young people to take action and speak out for nature. So I’d say it’s a pretty good match.
We started the partnership with Girlguiding London and South East region in 2015, followed by Girlguiding Anglia in 2021, and most recently this year a new 3 year partnership with Girlguiding North West England. So what have they been up to?
This year, the RSPB and Girlguiding Anglia worked together to create a new ‘Feel Good in Nature' challenge pack, which was inspired by Girlguiding’s Girls Attitude Survey 2022, which also showed that mental wellbeing was one of the top concerns for Girlguiding’s members. It aims to improve wellbeing as a result of taking part in nature experiences and enables girls to take positive action to help nature.
Girlguiding leaders can do the activities in the pack with their units to earn a badge. The pack, and associated badge, were produced by girls working towards their Queen’s Guide award, which is the highest award in guiding. Activities range from nature sensory bingo to creating homes for wildlife and applying the Girlguiding Promise to helping nature.
With over 3000 downloads on the website, and over 500 badges ordered, the RSPB Feel Good in Nature challenge pack has been a hit so far! [Left image: Girlguiding Anglia members visit RSPB Minsmere, Credit: Steve Everett]
“[We’ve made] our Girlguiding Chesham Vale: Rainbows, Brownies, Guides & Rangers space more wildlife friendly …the girls loved it as well as collecting wood for our outdoor cooking the week before.’’“1st Orwell Brownies enjoyed learning and supporting the local charity which looks after hedgehogs with a visit from the hedgehog hospital to Brownies.”
A leader from 3rd Cambourne Brownies, Buckinghamshire
In January, we went live with our newest partnership with Girlguiding North West England. We have taken the Brilliant Birds and Together with Nature activity packs and badges, developed with Girlguiding London and South East region, and have adapted them for the North West. These packs are full of activities designed to immerse children in nature and range from making paints from natural materials to tuning into birdsong and foraging. They’re designed for Girlguiding leaders to do with their units at regular meetings or camps. So far, over 500 girls from the North West have earnt one of the badges.
“I think it's very important to do activities like this because nature is wonderful! Birds, bees, plants, all of them! The more people we get to love nature, the more [people can] help. And with more help we can work together as a world to get endangered animals, like Swifts, to thrive.”
Belle, a Brownie from the 1st Gisburn Brownies, Lancashire East [Above image:1st Gisburn Brownies, Credit: Harriet Wibberley Smith]
Girlguiding South Cumbria are also celebrating their year of the Curlew, which is their county emblem, by learning more about these elusive species, getting involved in local conservation projects and raising awareness of the need to protect them. The year will run until the summer of 2024.
Girlguiding South Cumbria leaders learning how to identify Curlews and record their sightings (Credit: Sam Turley, rspb-images.com)
We’re delighted that we’ve extended our partnership with Girlguiding London and South East for a further 3 years until 2026, and for the second year running, units from Girlguiding London and South East region are taking part in the Great Big Green Week, the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature. We’re building on the success of last year, where 360 girls and 59 leaders joined in.
The groups will be taking part in ‘craftivism’ activities like making a green heart to wear or creating a display for their windows to show they want climate action, writing ‘letters to tomorrow’ to share with their local communities, as well as getting out and about in nature.
“[The Guides] made a green heart to wear or display to show they care about climate action. They downloaded [one of the] posters from the UK’s best loved illustrators, coloured it in and put it in their windows to show that they care about climate action. The hearts seemed particularly effective and the effort that the girls put into them was amazing – I loved their pledges.”Leader from 2nd Swanley Guides, Girlguiding Kent West county
The 1st Richmond Guides and Rangers: “wrote to MP, created a campaign, public speaking, made posters, made a green promise to keep, litter pick, made seed bombs.”
Girlguiding London and South East at RSPB Rainham Marshes and in West Sussex (Credit: Bethany Spence)
Later this year we’re planning a number of ‘Wildlife Discovery’ events, starting with five events at green spaces in London, funded by the Kusuma Charitable Trust, aimed at girls from families on low incomes or who would not normally afford to attend such events. Each event will involve around 80 girls, with Rainbows and Brownies (aged 4–10) getting stuck in with activities such as minibeast hunting and pond dipping, whilst older age groups, Guides and Rangers (aged 10–18), will take part in nature conservation and activities to promote wellbeing through nature.
If you’ve been inspired by the actions of young Girlguiding members in this blog, you too can get involved in saving nature!
Check out the RSPB Wild Challenge, which has tons of activities to help nature.
Find out about joining, or volunteering with, an RSPB youth group
Volunteer, or register a child with Girlguiding