Launch of The Young Conservation Leaders Award
We are launching an exciting new Young Conservation Leaders Award scheme (YCLA) for primary and secondary schools this academic year in partnership with our funders, The Conservation Foundation, having successfully trialled it last year.
Level 1 of the scheme for primary schools, is called The Nature Explorer Award. Level 2 for secondary schools, is called The Conservation Ambassador Award. There is a Level 3 for graduates run by The Conservation Foundation.
We had been running Bloom workshops for Years 5 and 6 at our flagship primary school in south London for several years so this was a new development which they were keen to engage with. Their Year 6 pupils had completed the Bloom Three-Season programme of workshops in Year 5 so doing the Young Explorer Award allowed them to extend and deepen what they had learnt at the workshops. It needs 4 to 6 weeks to complete so fitted perfectly with the school’s post-SATS programme. We trained their Year 6 form teachers to run the Award and provided all the resources, which they found very usable and comprehensive. They chose a regular timetabled slot for the children to work on their Nature Journals each week as well as leaving them to do some at home. They also found that the Year 6 school trips such as a visit to The GlobeTheatre, Rochester Cathedral and a local park all gave material for the Journals. A further welcome outcome was that pupils themselves saw links with what they were doing for the Award and their other subjects such as geography and science.
We held an Award Assembly at the end of term which the whole school attended when we presented the Year 6 pupils with badges and certificates. Three pupils inspired the younger years as they spoke enthusiastically and informatively about their experiences.
Another trial of the Nature Explorer programme took place with a group of Year 7,8 and 9 SEND pupils at a north London academy in the summer term. They started with a two-hour workshop at a local park and then spent four weeks on their Nature Journal. It went exceedingly well and both pupils and teachers got a huge amount out of the experience. The pupils felt really proud of their achievements and lots wore their badges into school for the rest of term.
The trial of the Conservation Ambassador Award took place at a school in east London with whom we had already run the Nature and Careers Day in previous years. Again, like the primary school, they were keen to undertake a more extended in-depth programme for pupils who showed a particular interest in nature and conservation. The role of leading the Award programme was advertised internally and a wonderful teacher was appointed. She was given a formal job description and we provided the training and all the resources to enable her to deliver the sessions. She presented the scheme to the school, pupils applied to take part and she selected the ones she felt were suitable. She ran it as a weekly after-school club to which participants had to commit fully. The whole programme took two terms to complete. Pupils put a great deal of effort into the various projects they chose to do and subsequently they got a great deal out of it. The teacher reported, ‘Through their individual projects, students felt empowered to make a tangible impact—both within the school environment and at home. They thoroughly enjoyed Area 2, where they worked collaboratively on wider school initiatives. Working together on meaningful projects made the experience very enjoyable and rewarding. The programme also contributed significantly to the development of key skills. Students reported improvements in teamwork, creativity, and presentation abilities. Furthermore, their involvement in the programme and project work boosted their confidence to take on leadership roles, including hosting workshops, presenting, and delivering assemblies.’
At the end of the programme an Award assembly was held for the new, very deserving young Conservation Ambassadors. Badges and certificates were presented by the eminent founder of The Conservation Foundation, David Shreeve, MBE.
The school will be running the Award programme again this academic year and we intend to end with a party after the presentations! We encourage other schools to participate now - it’s not too late to sign up with Bloom.
Download the press release here
