Forest Foundation

Forest Foundation – new programme launch

Forest Foundation is the third *YES programme to launch this year. It is a series of 8 week programmes connecting small groups of 12-14 year olds with nature through weekly trips and activities.

Some Forest Foundation groups will be for girls, others will be mixed.

Forest Foundation combines key elements of forest school and outdoor learning with practical conservation, ensuring valuable opportunities for the small groups to get to know each other, learn, have fun and work together.

Importantly, the Forest Foundation programme is also a great way for The Green Team to establish new partnerships with schools and other organisations across the city.

Girls lead the way

In early February, a group of 8 girls from St Thomas of Aquin’s led the way as The Green Team’s first Forest Foundation group. This is a new partnership with the school and we are delighted to bring the group and school into the YES programme.

Once a week for 8 weeks, the group have spent time outdoors getting to know each other, playing games, meeting the wildlife, carrying out practical conservation tasks and learning outdoor cooking… S’mores galore!

The group visited key nature sites around Edinburgh and beyond including the Musselburgh lagoons, Dalkeith Country Park, John Muir Birthplace in Dunbar and Holyrood Park. Time spent together involved learning about and doing essential conservation tasks ranging from clearing old tree tubes to allow a now established hedge to thrive and removing sycamore saplings from a beech woodland, to clearing gorse and building shelduck nests!

See the photos below for just a taste of their adventures!

Now the programme has ended, the girls will be able to continue their learning pathway with The Green Team with opportunities to join our weekend programmes as well as the Skylarks advanced programme.