Green Shoots Programmes
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Green Shoots is the social inclusion
project of the Green Team, providing programmes of practical conservation work
and environmental education for young people throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Projects visit local green spaces in both town and the countryside. Practical
tasks may include cutting back invasive species, tree
planting, or path work.
As part of each session participants explore their relationship with the outdoors through a variety of environmental games, and develop basic wilderness skills such as shelter building, fire lighting, outdoor cooking, first aid, map reading and knife work.
The activities aim to encourage citizenship,
self confidence and develop effective teamwork skills. The aims of Green Shoots
programmes are to;
- Learn a range of basic and practical conservation skills
-
Increase environmental knowledge and understanding
- Develop respect for the
environment and others (Responsible Citizenship)
- Increase self reliance
through learning basic wilderness skills
- Build self esteem and confidence
(Confident Individuals)
- Promote positive behaviour
- Develop cooperation
and teamwork skills (Effective Contributors)
- Encourage participants
to follow instructions and to work responsibly and safely with tools
- Improve
physical fitness
- Provide opportunities to gain vocational accreditation,
specifically the John Muir Award and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. (Successful
Learners)
What will young people gain from this
programme?
With low student to staff ratios, each young person receives tailored
individual support. Effective methods of learning are quickly identified and participants
are encouraged to develop personal coping strategies and set personal goals for
each programme.
The informal learning environment and emphasis on learning practical skills appeal to young people who may have difficulty achieving success in the classroom. With gained self-esteem and new coping strategies participants are more likely to be able to adapt to stressful and challenging situations in school and beyond.
Although it can be tough at times, sometimes the work is physically demanding, sometimes the weather is bad and sometimes individuals struggle to manage their behaviour, participants relish exploring the great outdoors and learning new skills that are real and meaningful.
“The best thing was how I managed to control my temper” (SR)
“I learned
that working in a team helps you to do other things better,
and it’s good
to share” (NR)
“It made me feel better
in school and gave me something to look
forward to” (SG)
“It
was a pleasure to hear the students talking about their achievements…
the experience has increased the pupils’ abilities to
cope better in school
and will be a very positive and lasting memory
for all the students”
(Behavioural support worker)
| Green Shoots programmes cost £150 per day or £100 per half day session, up to 4 hours. If your group is unable to afford this then please get in touch as we will make every effort to accommodate all user groups in this programme. For further information contact: Sara Rasmussen, Green Shoots Co-ordinator. Examples of recent Green Shoots projects are on the Green Shoots Blog page. |
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The Green Team (Edinburgh & Lothians) Ltd is a charity registered in Scotland SCO29319
