The London Wetland Centre is one of seven WWT centres which are encouraging children to engage with nature in a new project, Generation Wild
‘We want children to be the climate activists of the future’ says Charlette Levene, the Generation Wild Project Manager for a new initiative that will get 45,000 primary school children from less advantaged areas into nature.
The WWT (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) has launched this ground-breaking project created in partnership with theatrical producers, puppeteers, and schools, to enable children to enjoy a free visit to a WWT Wetland Centre, to take part in an immersive experience and meet ‘Ava’, an extraordinary creature who is part girl and part bird. Says Charlotte: We know that when children connect with the outdoors and nature, it improves their physical and mental wellbeing and behaviour, yet research shows that 75% of UK children spend less time outside than prison inmates.’
Local children will first meet Ava in a digital storybook in the classroom and then in ‘real life’ at the Barnes site (and six others across the country). They will come across an enormous nest and will be introduced to Ava in a live, interactive puppet show. The children are then given a ‘translatorphone’, where Ava’s animal friends guide them through a nature trail, revealing her incredible backstory and helping her on a journey back to the wild.
Every pupil will be given a voucher for a free, return visit to a WWT Wetland Centre with their family to continue Ava’s journey. Meanwhile, back in the classroom or at home, children, teachers and family members can continue to follow Ava’s journey via an interactive website.
Charlotte says: ‘We’re particularly aware that children from disadvantaged communities have even fewer opportunities to interact with nature and often feel like nature isn’t for them. Through Generation Wild, we are keen to remove some of those barriers by making the natural world more accessible, familiar and fun, while instilling the belief that nature is for everyone over the long term.’
The children will be encouraged to complete activities in school, at home and in the local area, in the hope of becoming a ‘Guardian of the Wild’ –the idea being that the children and families continue engaging with the natural world beyond the classroom and their initial visits.
The three-year project, funded by a private donator and ScottishPower Foundation, is also the subject of new PhD research between Cardiff University and WWT, examining how engagement with nature and wetlands in particular, can enhance children’s wellbeing and influence their views about the natural world.
Dr Kersty Hobson from Cardiff University, who is part of the academic team overseeing the research explained ’We are really excited to be collaborating with WWT on this ground-breaking piece of work that will give us a deeper understanding of the best ways to engage children and instil a life-long love of nature, particularly amongst communities that often don’t have regular access to nature experiences.’
The project will give researchers a unique insight: ‘Never before have we been able to have such a large number of children that we can follow to see what impact being in nature can have.’
The WWT reached its 75 years-old milestone in 2021 and has grown into a leading international conservation charity, dedicated to creating a world where healthy wetland nature thrives – peat found in wetland areas absorbs more carbon than forests, and they are keen to inspire the children of today to protect the wetlands for tomorrow.
Find more information about the Wetlands Centre in Barnes at wwt.org
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