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Young Tree Champions is part of The Tree Council’s National Schools Programme (NSP), which comprises a core campaign ‘Force for Nature’ and a practical, large scale, light touch programme called ‘Orchards for Schools’. Since launching in 2020, the NSP has become one of the fastest growing environmental education programmes in the UK with over 4,000 schools actively taking part.
Young Tree Champions inspires children and young people of all ages and abilities in some of the most urban and deprived schools in Britain to be a Force for Nature. The programme provides high quality training and pupil workshops (online and in-person), plus resources and opportunities to help teachers and pupils tackle the climate and nature emergencies, such as:
Addressing mental health, eco-anxiety associated with the crisis Addressing access to a healthy biodiverse school environment for learning Addressing limited knowledge, green skills and pathways into the horticulture, forestry and environment sector. Addressing social inequalities that prevent vulnerable young people from speaking up and effecting positive change in their community. By building capacity, providing resource, opportunities and a national platform to connect with each other, many schools have managed to transform their school grounds into nature rich environments. At the same time, they have enabled their pupils to grow and celebrate a deep-rooted connection with trees and nature and develop the knowledge and skills to care for and share their passion both at a local and national level, leading to a tree-filled, healthy, more sustainable future.
The objectives: Young Tree Champions Regional Leads
There are six objectives to be delivered within the contracted period:
Recruit new schools and work with existing Beacon schools in your region, focussing on areas of low tree equity and high deprivation Train teachers to effectively: - Plan and deliver tree and nature related planting sessions in their school, including practical planting workshops
- Engage the wider school in developing the school’s outdoor curriculum and their Young Tree Champion school project
Deliver pupil workshops in new project schools and Beacon schools and develop teaching resources to support the workshops Support with ad hoc community events outside of schools include The Tree Council’s end of year celebration event Evaluate the impact of the programme Work with team and align with wider Tree Council initiatives and programmes to maximise the value and sustainable impact of the Young Tree Champion programme You will have experience of teaching in schools (primary, secondary or special schools) both in the classroom and outdoors - or teaching in an informal environmental setting. You will be familiar with the complex and ever-changing demands placed on teachers and schools. You will be able to contribute to monitoring and assessing the impact of the Young Tree Champion programme.
You will have excellent organisational skills and be a strong communicator, working collaboratively with many different partners to deliver a regional element of a nationwide schools programme. You must be prepared to work with The Tree Council’s small dynamic team, in a fast-paced environment, and travel to visit schools across your region.
Attention to detail, a positive outlook and tenacity will be key. You will be working during a challenging time for schools, so your ability to problem-solve, inspire and support school teachers in achieving their goals will play an important role in the success of the programme. Above all, you should be passionate about young people and the environment and making lasting change.
More details about the roles and the Young Tree Champion programme are in the documents you can upload from the Guardian site - also in the jobs section of The Tree Council website: www.treecouncil.org.uk
