Projects
The Royal Parks offers young people an opportunity to connect with nature and conservation in a safe and inclusive environment.
Key information
Through the Green Futures programme we connect young people with nature conservation and heritage.
Green Futures is an ambitious and innovative programme connecting hundreds of young people with nature conservation and heritage in the Royal Parks, gaining new skills to help combat the climate emergency.
"All our students had such a fantastic time, learnt so much, and I'm so excited to see what today will open up in their outlooks, interests, and futures." - Teacher feedback from Autumn 2021 Conservation Day
What's involved?
Green Futures offers a unique new transformational programme for KS3 and Y12 students in the Royal Parks, giving them practical skills in support of biodiversity and the climate emergency; team and leadership skills; and an increased understanding of careers in the natural heritage sector. Activities are closely linked to the National Curriculum.
Participating schools can choose their preferred year group within KS3, with the whole year group coming each term for a day of practical conservation related activities in the Royal Parks - either in historic Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens; or from 2024, the spectacular Bushy Park. Activities may include citizen science and practical fieldwork; habitat creation; behind the scenes tours; coppicing and dead hedging; or work with our Ecology and "Help Nature Thrive" teams.
Schools also recruit up to sixteen Year 12 students to the “Green Leaders” strand, developing a linked practical project in the park, leading the younger students during their visits and earning an ASDAN¹ award in the process. Any Y12 students are welcome but it particularly suits students studying Biology and Environmental Science.
The programme follows research which suggests that longer term interventions are significantly more effective at promoting a lasting connection to nature compared to one-day field trips².
Register your interest
Want to find out more? Email us at learn@royalparks.org.uk with your name, phone number, school name and rough estimate of how many students you’d like to involve.
¹Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network
²Tina Braun & Paul Dierkes (2017) Connecting students to nature – how intensity of nature experience and student age influence the success of outdoor education programs, Environmental Education Research, 23:7, 937-949, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2016.1214866