Hey! I’m Saskia and I’ve just completed my Youth Communications volunteer placement. After a few weeks of work experience in this role I’ve gained valuable skills and memories.

I discovered the Avon Wildlife Trust (AWT) Youth Programme when I joined the Youth Volunteering group last year (I’m studying Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science at university so it’s perfect for me) and then learnt about the other events and workshops AWT offers. I then came across this communications placement, and now I’m sat writing this! 

As I started as a Youth Volunteer, I’d already been to Grow Wilder, the gorgeous AWT site I’d be based at. My first two days involved meeting with a couple of staff members to talk about the oncoming weeks and me babbling ideas at them while I vibrated with excitement. I was informed of what I’d be up to in the weeks to come (don’t worry I won’t go minute-by-minute) and I’m so lucky I got to be a part of so many things. 

The Youth Programme includes bookable events that allow young people to learn new skills or enjoy activities in nature. I got to gather content at a birdwatching walk and a “How to Create a Nature Podcast” event, both led or supported by brilliant professionals who shared their tips and tricks (like recommendations on podcast microphones, or where peregrines are most spot-able). 

In the wildlife world, it can sometimes feel like you need fancy gear or a big expedition to gain proper experience, but these showed how accessible and rewarding it can be to just to slow down and take in the world around you. Birdwatching is something most people can try and it’s such a great way to get better at ID skills or spotting movement in the trees (aka finding the bird everyone saw before I did!).

Grow Wilder also hosts workshops for organisations such as schools or charitable trusts. For example, I helped when groups from the King’s Trust spent time there, and when the Centre for Sustainable Energy organised activity days at the site. Grow Wilder has a range of areas and habitats so is perfect for activities like pond dipping, butterfly counts, wildlife monitoring and general gardening.

For example, young people from the King’s Trust were taught how to set up set up camera traps, which captured some footage of badgers having a drink from a pond - how cute! I spoke to a couple of the young people who attended who said they enjoyed “actually getting some time to learn a variation of things like ID” and feeling “a part of something bigger”. 

Children with the Centre for Sustainable Energy also had great fun looking for bugs in the long grass with a sweep net, and captured many different specimens, like shield bugs and parasitoid wasps, in study jars. Witnessing the enthusiasm and curiosity young people had for activities as simple as “looking for bugs” was wonderful.

Throughout this placement, it’s been my mission to take pics of the young people in nature, and to create content showing what I’ve been up to. This was a new experience for me, but I’ve loved learning how to capture wonderful moments in pictures and edit clips into a cohesive reel. Seeing how the communications team of a conservation trust functions has also been invaluable experience, especially as I got to sit in on a their monthly planning meeting, so could witness how ideas are formed (which also involved a lot of excited babbling), and how content is planned and organised. I felt like I’d infiltrated a top-secret meeting, it was awesome!

If you’re a young person interested in wildlife and its conservation, keep an eye out for these activities. Whether it’s diving into volunteering or attending an event, there’s so much to gain. 

Find out more about our opportunities for young people