Growing Green Leaders
Engaging Temora Youth Group for tomorrows Landcare
Capacity building - LEP23_036_LLC4_3
The issue
A continuous question at each Landcare gathering is, “How do we engage more young people to join Landcare?” Youth are vital to Landcare, bringing fresh ideas, energy, and enthusiasm. They provide balance to the group dynamic and ensure long-term succession. However, with commitments such as education and work, it can be difficult to motivate participation in a volunteer capacity. As a result, Landcare faces the challenges of an aging membership, high burnout rates and physical limitations which reduce long-term engagement. These concerns, highlighted at a recent statewide Landcare gathering, reflect widespread feedback on the need to address new membership recruitment.
The solution
Research shows that early exposure to nature fosters empathy and a lasting environmental ethic, inspiring children to pursue environmentally focused careers, hobbies, and volunteer roles as adults. Taking this knowledge, our solution involved engaging youth from a school age to foster their interest and passion as they grow into young adults.
We were invited to meet with the Temora Youth Group as a mentor to the ‘Green Team’ students, encouraging them to get active, explore, and connect with their environment firsthand. This already successful program, led by Temora Shire Council as part of its after-school activities, provided a great opportunity for Landcare to take an active role in inspiring youth to get out and explore their own backyard. As part of the under-30 demographic, and growing up in the Temora community, our Local Coordinator Britt could easily relate to the students, allowing for positive relationships to be built.
The impact
The program has had a positive impact on the local youth, whereby the participants have learnt about their local environment in an exciting and engaging way. In the first six months, they participated in bird surveys, National Tree Day activities, bushwalking, and natural scavenger hunts. It has been inspiring to see their environmental literacy improving, with students making profound observations without prompting. With many more activities planned for the Temora Youth Group, our key takeaway for engaging youth is simple: show, don’t tell. By nurturing environmental passion and curiosity from a young age, we hope to inspire a lifelong connection to nature, involvement in Landcare, and a commitment to building a better future.
Key facts
- 6 activities attended
- 6 students mentored
- Deep connections formed