What’s new?
24 November 2006
Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto
The Wildlife Trusts respond
The Wildlife Trusts welcome the Government’s manifesto on Learning Outside the Classroom released this week, and stress the continuing need for the breakdown of barriers to young people’s participation in outdoor environmental learning.
Julie Fulton, head of people and wildlife at the Wildlife Trusts UK office said: “We welcome the manifesto and agree wholeheartedly with its vision and the identified educational benefits. Too often young people are divorced from the environment they live in and depend upon. At the heart of our work with schools and other educational establishments lies the belief that positive experiences and participation are central to young people’s personal development and achievement. By providing fresh experiences, and enabling young people to develop a positive relationship with the natural environment, we create an effective route for learning about how to protect and sustain it. As concern about the impact of climate change grows and sustainable development is increasingly considered a vital way forward, the need to equip future generations with relevant skills and understanding has never been stronger.”
At the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northanthamptonshire and Peterborough, we hope to create a population for whom sustainability and environmentally-friendly behaviour are core values. Our education and community programmes promote the importance of conservation for a sustainable world by creating and delivering inspirational learning experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds. We work with thousands of children and young people each year, helping them enjoy the outdoors and develop unique skills and understanding of the natural environment. From A-level students conducting field studies at Brampton Wood Nature Reserve to preschool children creating woodland art at the Lings Wood Forest School, outdoor learning with the Wildlife Trust means getting to know local greenspaces with the help of experienced, dedicated and inspirational staff and volunteers.