Originally formed and active as the Heritage Ambassadors in 2006, the project was renamed the Green Ambassadors in 2007.
The aim of the project is to improve and enhance the links between rural and urban environments and communities. Working with young people from disadvantaged communities living adjacent to protected landscapes (ie National Parks & AONBs) we aim to increase the appreciation of and respect for the wider natural environment within those communities.
This project is aimed at young people who do not usually engage with their wider natural environment due to social, economical or emotional barriers. The project will identify and recruit young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through local youth clubs, community groups and schools. It will firstly encourage them to explore their local protected landscapes and natural environments through visits, activities and short residential experiences (mainly based at Pinkery Outdoor Centre). Working in partnership with protected landscape authorities, schools, environmental education teams, youth service providers and with existing projects such as Forest Schools and the Somerset Rural Youth Project the young people will then learn and develop skills, receive training and design and implement their own projects to the benefit of themselves and their communities.
Young people will be drawn from social disadvantaged areas within small towns and urban centres within the following Somerset and Devon local authority areas: Sedgemoor (Somerset), Taunton Deane (Somerset), West Somerset and North Devon. The young people will range from 11 to 21 years of age. It will target whole communities of young people from these areas by working through various existing community or youth service groups or providers.
At anyone time project officers will be working with 2 or 3 different groups on a rolling programme. Each group will be worked with for between 1 and 3 years depending on their size, resources and needs. Within each group although large numbers of young people might be involved in various aspects of each project, each time a core of 10-15 young people will be designated ‘Green Ambassadors’ and will receive support and training to deliver a specific community based project which will aim to enhance the link between urban and rural/natural environments.
The Project is working towards the following 5 outcomes;
1) A positive impact on behaviour, and increase respect for their local environment.
2) Improved access to and awareness of surrounding natural environments including National Parks and AONB’s.
3) Increased participation in Outdoor Activities and Rural Skills resulting in improved physical fitness and self-worth.
4) Increased opportunity for involvement in and ownership of Community based environmental projects.
5) Greater knowledge of and participation in the training and employment opportunities available in the surrounding rural areas.
