Our Very First Youth Environment Conference!

Earlier this year we were awarded funding for 5 years through the National Lottery

Climate Action Fund and one of our aims was to create a space to celebrate and

come together to share some of the fantastic work that projects like ourselves and many others in Hull and the East Riding are doing to connect young people to this beautiful world around them.

We had previously attended the annual Hull and East Yorkshire Friends of the Earth Green Fair at Cottingham Civic Hall and were excited to hear that this years fair was going to be held at Hull Minster. Having recently been awarded some funding through the national Friends of the Earth Postcode Gardener Programme, this

seemed like the perfect time to set up our first Youth Environment Conference to promote and share the city’s youth environmental work to a wider audience and it made sense to link in with the already well established and respected Green Fair. The aim for the conference is to invite people to explore and discuss issues around how young people and communities in Hull can engage with their local environment, whether that be through getting involved in local projects, learning about climate change and its effects or through spending more time in the outdoor spaces around

them.

As part of the Youth Environment Conference, which will take place in and around a

huge marquee on Trinity Square, we will have speakers from the University of Hull,

the University of York, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the Postcode Gardener projects in

Bransholme and Orchard Park, Child Dynamix, the Friends of Alderman Kneeshaw

Park and our very own youth researchers who will be presenting their research on

the impact of immersive Wild Camps on young people’s environmental agency,

wellbeing and nature connectedness.

There will be workshops on flint knapping, willow weaving, fire lighting and other

bushcraft activities, green woodwork, wildflower seed bombing, micro pond-dipping,

natural crafts and earth-building and we will have a space for invited speakers from

local universities and environmental organisations to present talks and workshops on

areas linked to the benefits, challenges and opportunities of involving young people

and communities in environmental education projects.

The intention of the event is to continue to create and nourish a community of

practice in Hull and beyond who will continue to work together to develop skills,

ideas and voices through which to celebrate, support and nurture young people’s

engagement with nature and the environment in Hull and beyond!

We do hope that you can join us at Hull Minster on October the 5th 2024. Look out for

our marquee in Trinity Square and come and say hello!