Youth for Climate and Nature scheme (YouCAN)

The New Forest National Park is a world capital for wildlife, its mosaic of habitats supports over 20,000 species, some of which are rare/red listed. It’s already facing the challenges of the climate and nature emergencies and visitor pressure from its surrounding urban areas of Southampton, Bournemouth and Salisbury. However, this also creates opportunities for engaging those populations and nurturing a sense of care for nature both within the National Park and in those surrounding urban environments.

The Youth for Climate and Nature (YouCAN) scheme was launched in October 2023 to empower young people to understand and lead climate action within their communities. YouCAN also supports green skills and jobs, and an outdoor learning programme for young people from all backgrounds to explore urban, rural, coastal and freshwater areas.

By the end of its second year, YouCAN had engaged more than 31,000 young people between the ages of 11 and 25 across the 300 square mile area of the New Forest, Southampton, and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.

YouCAN was made possible by a £1.2 million Climate Action Fund grant from The National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK – and a further £264,000 in match funding from partners.

The scheme is led by the New Forest National Park Authority in partnership with the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu; Freshwater Habitats Trust; The Parks Foundation in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Southampton National Park City project; Theatre for Life, and care and support charity Alabaré. The success of the project is measured by evaluation partner Action Hampshire.

Highlights of the YouCAN scheme include:

• The creation and performance of a youth-led play, Bringing the Outside In, which explored air pollution and climate anxiety, was deeply rooted in Southampton and drew inspiration from New Forest folklore.
• Urban Wild Festival and Interspecies Democracy – where actors dressed as, and represented the voice of, animals in a council meeting – gaining national news coverage and a mention in parliament.
• Young rangers and interns going on to take their first steps into green careers thanks to the experience they gained through YouCAN.
• The launching of the New Forest Youth Board to provide a platform for young people to directly influence decision making in the National Park.
• Young creatives have also been supported to create climate and nature-based social media content which they are passionate about through New Forest Young Content Creators.

Watch some of the highlights of the YouCAN scheme on our YouTube playlist linked here.

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We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

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