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)
What’s coming up in 2013?
The Spring Firrhill Forest School will kick off after the mid-term break, once again operating out of its regular home in Sanctuary Wood.
Moves are afoot to integrate Green Shoots provision into the wider Tynecastle HS Transition Programme, with a programme beginning in June.The ongoing Referral Programme will continue to work with more S1 pupils in the first half of 2013. Pupils have already been selected from 5 schools to participate and Green Shoots is delighted to have Hannah Rowley on board co-delivering the programme. The programme will once again bring together pupils from across the city to work on a series of conservation projects with a view to building confidence, communication skills and teamwork.
Who knows what adventures and far flung locations the Advanced Residential Group will undertake come the summer?
After a positive response to the first Tynecastle HS Forest School it is hoped that the school will be keen to see more pupils engage in a second programme in the autumn. Referrals for the current programme are closed, however if you would like to refer a pupil for the Autumn S3 Referral Programme please click here for a referral form.
Alternatively you are welcome to contact Sara Rasmussen (Raz) with any questions or for further details about engaging young people in Green Shoots programmes; raz@greenteam.org.uk
| Green Shoots programmes cost £200 per day or £150 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
