For parents or guardians


Naturally Connected Young People is supporting young people all over the UK to spend more time in nature, helping them to feel happier and healthier.

As a parent or guardian of a young person invited to take part in Naturally Connected Young People (NCYP) we appreciate you might have some questions about what is involved and what to expect.  

I really enjoyed the program. Every week had an amazing activity, and I really looked forward to coming to these lessons. It allowed me to learn citizen science, which goes above the course learned in school. It allowed me to learn how to contribute to nature and helped me connect with nature.
Young person taking part

Session activities

Young people don’t need special clothes to take part. They can wear whatever they are comfortable in. We might ask they to bring a coat or warm clothes if the weather is going to be bad.  

Young people will be accompanied and supervised by a member of The Wildlife Trusts at all times, who will explain what each session involves. Here are some of the activities which have helped young people feel more connected with nature: 

  • Making places for animals to sleep (like a bird box) or to eat (like a bird feeder that hangs in a tree)
  • Building dens
  • Making art using natural materials (like leaves, seeds, or sticks)
  • Having campfires and picnics with the whole group
  • Learning about different animals and insects that live in your local area
  • Nature photography  
A group of secondary school students sat on the grass outside making bird boxes. One young person is stood up, holding their arms triumphantly up in the air

Young people making bird boxes © Ben Connell

Looking down on a mixing bowl and spoon and a halved apple, with an activity sheet with instructions on how to make an apple bird feeder

Making bird feeders © Ben Connell

A teenager boy sitting on a grassy field, making a bird feeder out of an apple and seeds

Making bird feeders © Ben Connell

Programme Journey 

The young people who have joined the programme so far have told us how much they enjoyed the different activities and spending time with the other young people in the sessions. They’ve described the sessions as calming and they’ve taken their mind off things when they’ve been having a bad day. They also told us how proud they were to develop new skills they never thought they would have the opportunity to learn.  
 

Expectations of parents and guardians 

At the start of the programme we will ask for consent for your child or the child under your guardianship to take part in the programme evaluation. This request will come through the school or community group which has nominated your child or the child under your guardianship for the programme. Your consent gives permission for the personal data of the young person to be collected, but the child/young person does not have to answer any question they don’t want to. Any young person giving data will be assigned a code so that their anonymity is protected. Only the local Trust will know which code is assigned to which young person. The data and the young person’s name will never be stored together.  

We want to develop activities that help young people know how nature can support them to live healthier happier lives and the information we’re asking for helps us learn more about when we get this right, or where we need to do better. There’s no right or wrong answer – whatever the young person’s personal experience and opinion is, is what we need to know.