Hello all!

I’m Hannah and I began my role as a Green Mentor back in February of this year. Over the past nine months I have been working with over 40 Green Influencers who have been busy developing their various environmental projects. The mission of the Green Influencers Scheme is to help young people between the ages of 10-14 years, create deep, lasting and meaningful connections with the natural environment. The environmental projects provide a fantastic opportunity for young people to build their skills and develop their confidence, whilst working together as team to make a positive difference within their local environment and community.

The first group of Green Influencers was the fantastic Mayflower Primary School ‘Environment Helpers’. The group decided to use their project funding to create native wildflower seed planting kits which were given out to their fellow students. The Year 6 pupils wanted to encourage their local community to ‘plant for wildlife’ at home, and as a result they assembled and handed out a total of 250 planting kits - this was a very busy task! The group used their influencing skills to create and direct an instructional planting video which demonstrated how to use the contents of the kits, and also how to create recycled newspaper pots.

The ‘Rushey Mead Academy Wildlife Warriors’ were established back in June, and have been developing ideas to transform an area of underused green space within their school grounds. Their Green Influencers Scheme Project Grant funding application was successful and will use this to create an area that can accommodate outdoor classroom activities, and provide a relaxing place where members of the school community can spend time surrounded by nature.  Recently, members of the group led a series of fantastic climate change-related workshops in the Leicester Eco-school COP26 roadshow. The workshop activities inspired visiting students from other schools to learn about their ecological footprints, make air pollution catchers, and create a climate change poem or poster to mark COP26. It was a really exciting day networking with other schools, and the Wildlife Warriors truly demonstrated the amazing power of youth voice and action, and the importance of environmental activists working together to tackle climate change!

Two Green Influencers Scheme groups were started during the autumn term at Sandfield Close Primary School, and a second group at Mayflower Primary School. The Sandfield Close ‘Eco-Buddies’ voted to develop a project which will protect and promote their local wildlife. They have been learning about the different species that are already in their school garden through carrying out mini-beast hunts

And developing their tree identification skills. They are looking to create natural‘ playground activity bags’ to encourage other pupils to explore the outdoors and learn about wildlife.

The Mayflower ‘Earth Savers’ have been busy discussing the benefits of recycling and sustainable transport, and will be significantly enhancing their school allotment plot with the Green Influencers Scheme Project Grant funding. They have spent their sessions carrying out a survey to find out how often their fellow pupils use sustainable transport methods, planting seeds, and preparing planters at the allotment (thinking about reducing food miles) and have started to create environment-themed scarecrows!

Of course, I couldn’t write this blog without including the inspiring voices of some of our Green Influencers. I asked some members of the Rushey Mead Wildlife Warriors to share their experiences, and why being a Green Influencer was important to them.

‘The Green Influencers have improved the environment a fraction at a time, but I know it will spread. The only reason I am a Green Influencer is that I want the next generation to live in a non-polluted world. It is important to protect the environment because there is no second one to go to.’

‘I have learned that we should have a variety of options which we can help to improve the environment, and I want to teach other people how to improve the environment

‘My experience as a Green influencer has been fantastic. I have thought about how daily things such as switching a light on can impact the planet. Also, by improving our garden area I have realised how important it is to save and protect biodiversity, and how it can impact our lives in the future

As you can see, our Green Influencers are the next inspirational environmental ambassadors, wanting to make positive differences for their communities and future generations.

Beginning my role during a pandemic has been not been without its challenges, however, being involved in The Ernest Cook Trust Green Influencers Scheme has demonstrated how essential it is for young people to continue to spend time outdoors, increase their connections with nature, and be empowered to protect and take action for the environment and their planet.

I am really excited to meet the next groups of Green Influencers and see what environmental projects are in store. If you know of a group of young people who would like to become Green Influencers and are available to start a project in 2022, please do get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!

Hannah Keys (Green Mentor) hkeys@lrwt.org.uk

For more information, please visit: lrwt.org.uk/green-influencers and https://ernestcooktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/green-influencers-scheme/

The Green Influencers Scheme was set up by The Ernest Cook Trust and is match funded with the #iwill Fund, supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department of Culture Media & Sport.