The main focus of the Y4T project is young people's interest in trees, forests and wood products. Many young people feel a strong urge to protect trees as a heritage from previous generations and a legacy for future ones. There is huge concern by young people, often from an early age, about trees and forests. This is significant as 42% of the EU area is covered by forest or woodland. In terms of campaigning there are many forest-related matters that concern young people across Europe. Most significantly for the future of humanity and especially young people, they act as carbon sinks in helping to mitigate against climate change. In Europe forests and woodland are also the largest contributors to renewable energy. But forests are also under threat from unsustainable felling, competing land uses, poor management, pollution, and the international spread of pests and diseases etc. In terms of entrepreneurship, young people, especially in rural areas, have many opportunities for developing new sustainable forestry-related projects and enterprises eg. related to tourism, hospitality, nature conservation, agroforestry, food production, wood manufacturing. The Y4T project aims to enable youth workers, educators and organisers to support youth group projects and activities on trees, forests, wood products and people in terms of both entrepreneurship and campaigning. This will stimulate youth entrepreneurship related to the sustainable management of trees, forests and wood products as a matter of local rural economic development. It will also support young people in their responsible youth citizenship and political engagement. Our target audience will be youth workers, educators and organisers, especially those working in national parks, nature and forest parks, and environmental education centres. The four partner organisations are either social enterprises or foundations, provide education about trees, forests and wood products and support youth groups and student groups of 18 - 30 years old. They are coordinated by SustEd – Sustainability Education, UK, and includes partners from Portugal – ASPEA www.aspea.org, Spain – Iroko Desarrollo Forestal Sostenible www.iroko.org.es, Poland - Warsaw University Of Life Science – SGGW www.sggw.pl The partners will have regular monthly Skype calls and partner meetings in each of the four partner countries, producing newsletters to review progress, and regularly updating our social media. All the teaching resources will be freely available through the website. The project will mainly develop a Youth for Trees Toolkit. It will be launched in Spain at a one day seminar. The toolkit will include: Campaigning Guide on support for youth group projects and activities that enable young people to explore, experience, and engage with trees, forests, and wood products in terms of campaigning. Including ways of developing public participation and civic competences. Entrepreneurship Guide on support for youth group projects and activities that enable young people to explore, experience, and engage with trees, forests, and wood products in terms of campaigning and fundraising. Case studies and short videos. All the results will be freely accessible on the Y4T website. It will also include a database of contacts. The associated social media will enable a network of youthworkers to communicate and collaborate during and after the project. There will also be a 4-day Staff Training Event for two staff from each partner. This will be based in Sherwood Forest, UK. The project will have a wide range of impacts on the partner staff and organisations – improving their educational services, more educated and motivated staff, more recruitment of members and volunteers. It will improve the skills, employability and satisfaction of learners, and enable them to extend their interests and experience and skills in the support of youth-led activities and projects related to trees, forests and wood products.
We wanted to enable young people and students to build on the interest in trees and forests, especially in the context of climate change. We also wanted to encourage more young people to see forestry and woodland management as a career option. Our partners, with their range of experience in forestry and environmental education, have now developed some learning resources to support youth/ student group leaders and educators.
The European Y4T project was inspired by young people's interest and concern for trees and forests. Many young people have now had experience of Forest School approaches from an early age. Many young people feel a strong urge to conserve trees and forests as a heritage from previous generations and to plant them as a legacy for future ones. With all the political focus and funding on tree planting, re-wilding, agroforestry and woodland carbon trading, there will be a vast range of new enterprises and careers for young people to explore and develop. So this timely pack of resources will provide some guidance on developing more entrepreneurship in young people related to their own future work and lifestyles. Over the next generation young people will have many opportunities for developing new sustainable forestry-related projects and enterprises - related to forestry, nature conservation, agroforestry, eco-tourism, hospitality, food production, wood manufacturing and non-wood forest products.