Your local forum needs you!
Our youth-led environmental forums are at the heart of everything that the Our Wild Coast project does. There are three forums in total (North Coast / Anglesey / Gwynedd) that are run by our project officers and are made up of young representatives from our current project groups, as well as past participants and any other young people from the local area who have an interest in bringing their communities together to help protect their environment. The forums are going from strength to strength, and now that we are into the final year of the project, their focus will be on environmental campaigning and leading on their own community wildlife projects. Here is an update on where they are up to so far.
Anglesey: Following a very successful 2018, where the forum managed to secure funding from ‘Grow Wild’ to develop a wildflower demonstration site on our Caeau Pen y Clip reserve, this year the group have focused on running events and distributing wildflower seeds across the island. In 2020 they are going to be mapping this wildflower data and also developing ideas to help communities across Anglesey to reduce their own carbon footprints by tackling issues such as single use plastics and encouraging them to create more spaces for wildlife to thrive.
North Coast: Activities for our North Coast group recently have included organising and running a large-scale community beach clean and campaigning for all secondary schools in North Wales to factor more outdoor-based learning into the curriculum. They’ve even been writing to their local MP’s and have had a response direct from the Welsh Education Minister!
Gywnedd: Our Gwynedd forum will be organising community river cleans across the county in the coming year, and are planning to hold a community nature and conservation event at our Gwaith Powdwr reserve (date to be announced soon!). They are also teaming up with our Anglesey forum to develop their own community wildflower project.
Our forums are open to anyone in the local community who is interested in helping young people to lead on environmental issues in their areas, regardless of age and whether or not they have been involved in the Our Wild Coast project – and now is a great time to join them! If you or someone you know would like to get involved then just contact the relevant project officer below:
Anglesey Forum – Andy Charles-O’Callaghan
andy.ocallaghan@northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk
Gywnedd Forum – Eurig Jones
eurig.jones@northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk
North Coast Forum – Charlotte Keen