Equipping young people with skills, building on their passion for being out in nature and giving experiences, Campaign for National Parks look to shift the future of these young people and their National Parks
Being able to create a lasting impact around the outdoors and the places we enjoy spending time means getting young people involved. It is by building a legacy of youth leadership that will shape a positive and lasting impact on the National Parks in England and Wales.
The Campaign for National Parks - New Perspectives: Future Leaders Course is designed to do exactly this. Developed for young people – by young people – who are passionate about making a positive difference for National Parks, nature and people.
Katrina Sandiford is Senior Development Officer at the Campaign for National Parks contacted us and outlined why these courses were so important.
“Our residentials are designed so young people from any background or location can experience the outdoors in our National Parks. With only 6% of visitors aged 16-24, and an astonishing 94% of land not effectively managed for nature in National Parks, we believe more young people must have the opportunity to access and experience these landscapes.
With support from leaders across the nature and landscapes sector, our course aims to inspire participants to become the future leaders and change-makers we need to safeguard the future of our National Parks.”
After holding their first residential at Dartmoor National Park in October 2024, they identified a need for additional equipment to support our staff in delivering the course, as well as providing equipment for young people who may not have access to it.
The Alpkit Foundation were delighted to provide a grant £250 to put toward purchasing equipment for participants to use during their 2025 course, held in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. This included headtorches, first aid kits and emergency waterproofs! This equipment was returned and will be used again with future course participants, as well as for other projects.
Katrina got back in touch to let us know how this years retreat was another huge success. With walks to multiple locations within the Yorkshire Dales National Park and inspiration from multiple leaders in the environment and landscapes sector, giving them a broad insight into many aspects and challenges of the national parks.
"This residential retreat was attended by 18 young people from across the north of England, as well as some who journeyed up from the south. As well as benefitting these participants, we can now advertise the availability of additional resources within the application process for future projects, allowing young people to participate in our programmes who may not otherwise apply due to lack of access to equipment."
With the aim to create a legacy of youth leadership that has a positive and lasting impact on the National Parks in England and Wales, it’s fantastic to have been able to help towards this and hear some of the key issues that were felt to be important, such as improving public transport in the Yorkshire Dales, new purposes of National Parks and diverse representation in National Park governance.
“what stayed with me wasn’t just the landscape. It was the people, the conversations, and the radical rethinking of leadership and conservation that sparked something deeper.” course participant, Pari.
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