An innovative paid traineeship is opening up the world of urban conservation to young people across London.

Thanks to over £850,000 of National Lottery funding, The London Wildlife Trust’s ‘Keeping It Wild’ project has successfully inspired over 1,000 young people aged 11-25 to become actively involved in the protection and promotion of London’s natural heritage.

Since 2018 it has offered a mix of environmental social action projects, paid traineeships and an opportunity to be involved in a youth forum which aimed to make nature more inclusive, accessible and relevant to young people living in London.

The programme focuses on young people who are typically under-represented in the environmental sector, which includes Black, Asian or minoritised ethnic heritage, disabled young people or young people from lower socio-economic communities.

The project has now opened up another 40 paid traineeships for young people aged 16-25, enabling them to gain a foothold in the urban green sector. Trainees are able to try their hand at a wide range of conservation skills, from practical skills such as coppicing to opportunities to run their own workshop.

The current crop of trainees are just a couple of months into their programmes, but the scheme has already inspired them to envisage a career in the industry.

Yasmin Talha, who was working in animation after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a degree in geography before switching to conservation, is one of several young people to have benefitted from the project.

And the 23-year-old said: “The ability to try different areas of the trust was really appealing to me.

“There are practical skills but also the comms and marketing side and working with children and community groups; it is quite a rounded project and that sounded really interesting to me.

“I really want to do a ranger role in the future. When I was looking at job descriptions, I didn’t really have the practical skills that you need.

 “This traineeship I have already learned loads of skills. Being able to be on site, how rangers engage with volunteers and the public; seeing the employees, in my head it’s something I want to do. 

 “It has definitely solidified getting a practical role in conservation really quickly.”

The 16-week programme sees trainees from a wide range of backgrounds get stuck into all aspects of the notoriously difficult to break into conservation industry.

Jasmine-Karis Fontiverio-Hylton, 24, studied design at university before lockdown fuelled her desire to work outside, and the traineeship offered the perfect first step in making that transition.

“It’s nice to have the opportunity to not be from the world but step into a space where I can explore and everyone is treated at the same level,” she said. “Especially if it’s not your direct background.

“I am really loving spending time with volunteers, and I am really interested in interweaving my creative practice and my community engagement skills.

“I am really learning what The Wildlife Trust does to facilitate that and introducing other people to nature spaces.

Figures released today show that more than £3 Billion of National Lottery good causes funding has been invested over the last decade to projects like Keeping it Wild which specifically support and develop children and young people.

Over the past 10 years, this huge investment which has had a positive life-changing impact on children and young people across the UK, has supported over 58,000 projects which has helped them learn new skills, develop their communities as well giving them the tools to enhance their lives and the lives of others.

Thanks to National Lottery players, the funding is providing greater opportunities in life for many children and young people across the environment, arts, education, community, heritage and sport – with a big proportion of the money helping to connect young people with their environment and teaching them how to protect it.

The environment is an issue close to the hearts of young people. Many of the volunteers in our communities who seek to drive change and educate people about how to look after our environment are the younger generation. The National Lottery distributors are dedicated to helping young people continue that passion through funding incredible projects across the UK to help them unlock their potential. 

Fontiverio-Hylton added: “It’s about making people aware of the spaces.

“When I am speaking to my friends and family and saying where we have been, people didn’t even know about places.

“It takes conversation and inviting people into the spaces.”

National Lottery players have contributed over £3 billion to projects that support children and young people in the last 10 years within the arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sport, and voluntary projects across the UK; see the difference it’s making near you at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk