Up Skill, Down Dale – a new youth volunteering programme

Article by Rosie Corner, Local Plan Officer

What could you do?

Aged 9, Felix Finkbeiner started planting trees. To date, his organisation Plant-for-the-Planet has planted eight million trees in 73 countries.

Aged 15, Greta Thunberg spent every Friday protesting outside the Swedish Parliament to demand action on climate change.

Aged 19, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez sued the US government for climate inaction and now his organisation Earth Guardians is inspiring a new generation of environmental activists.

Aged 20, Benny Rothman led the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout, an act of civil disobedience which changed the right to roam in the UK forever.

So, what could you do?

Up Skill, Down Dale

Up Skill, Down Dale is the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s new youth volunteering programme designed to support the next generation of green leaders in the Yorkshire Dales.

This inclusive programme is open to all young people aged between 14 and 30. So whether you live in a big city or the middle of nowhere, you can get involved with all aspects of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s work.

Do you want to join a supported programme with other like-minded people to explore a suite of exclusive training opportunities with the Yorkshire Dales National Park? Our Up Skill, Down Dale programme will provide you with skills to support a route to employment in the Green Economy through inspiration, experiences, skills training and career development opportunities.

So are you the never-sits-still type? Come and help our rangers build walls, fix paths and plant trees.

People always telling you to pipe down? Come and share your thoughts as a Youth Representative as we shape the National Park’s future with the next Management Plan.

Feel like running wild? We need people like you to take responsibility for the National Park’s birds, bees and butterflies.

And while all this is going on you’ll be part of a new social network of young environmentalists in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, all supported by the expert staff at the Authority. So if you have ambitions to change the world why not start in the Yorkshire Dales.

Generation Green

Generation Green is a 16-month government funded scheme which will support 100,000 young people and youth leaders to get closer to nature and grow the UK’s green economy.