Young People
Eco Active Blog
Sustainability in Action
Encouraging Young People to Appreciate
the Wild Landscape
By Jonathon Huet
A Case StudyThe Sustainability Centre in conjunction with Jubilee Hillcrest School which is attached to the Hillcrest residential children’s homes has been creating long-term conservation tasks to instil a fondness for nature and a worthwhile improvement to the lowland woodlands and chalk-downland of this picturesque centre in the heart of the South downs.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” John Muir
"The young people from Jubilee School, predominately in Key Stage 2 and 3, normally spend a half term block (6 – 8 weeks) visiting the Sustainability Centre each Thursday to complete different levels of the John Muir award. All the young people at Jubilee School have difficulties in managing their emotions and behaviour. Angus Fileman Class Teacher
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Creating Their Own Wild SpaceDown in the woodland grove each student has cleared their own area of bramble and nettles to build their own shelter for the time that they spend at the Sustainability Centre. Each shelter has been unique ranging from off the ground platforms to small debris shelters. They have been given the opportunity to create a floor, add blankets and pillows to really give them the experience of creating a ‘home’ in nature.
This has created an opportunity for an individual space in nature that is safe and nurturing sometimes providing relief from more tumultuous days. This project has then been developed to include the surrounding area, creating their own garden and thus becoming a direct caretaker for a wild area in nature. ‘Building their own shelter and wild garden to care for created both a nurturing environment to help their well-being and a sense of long-term connection to a wild space in nature.’ Jonathon Huet
Outdoor Instructor for Sustainability Centre 
Humble beginnings – using tyres and recycled pots to create a meadow.
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Biodiversity in Action |
Creating a Natural Apothecary |
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The centre is in the heart of the South Downs National park amongst a mosaic of farmland, undulating hills and areas managed for conservation. The centre is ideally placed to teach about conservation and John Muir’s especial interest in preserving wild areas.
We have areas of chalk downland, woods and meadows. This has lent itself to the study of habitats and to involve the pupils in directly influencing the biodiversity of a given area. Pupils who otherwise would have had very little contact with the Countryside are able to come back time and time again to see the progress of their own hard work in conservation tasks. At the time of writing this we had an expert confirm that the centre was a habitat for the rare striped lychnis moth, a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan whose food plant is the dark mullein, a species we are growing as part of our biodiversity programme. The conservation tasks of cutting back the bramble in the woodland area where we run the sessions whilst leaving some for cover and nesting etc.., is now allowing species to flourish which were not there before such as sedges, self-heal, vetches and St John’s wort. The pupils are growing the plants, planting them out and then seeing them flourish in our meadows on the top of the site as well as on the chalk downland area adjacent to our natural woodlands burial. The chalk downland is flourishing with many species planted and naturally regenerating including a lone broom rape, pyramidal, common spotted, early purple and greater butterfly orchids. |
The biodiversity achieved on the site has created the opportunity to look at basic botany and plant identification which when connected to the uses of plants has really excited the pupils.
The pupils set about creating their own natural apothecary collecting wild plants. The first task was to make a salve to help with any skin irritations using oil and beeswax with yarrow and chickweed plants added to it. For this they created a bain- marie using two saucepans so the oil was not overheated. They also created syrups from berries and herbal teas from leaf, bud and flowers enabling them to get to know the plants with a hands- on approach. Sourcing the plants worked a treat at keeping their interest and they were even able to teach their own plant identification walks! ‘We are going to collect and bottle wild plants and create our own pharmacy’ Pupil Comment
Beautiful meadow at the Sustainability Centre created with the aid of our biodiversity growing project.
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The South Downs National Park |
The John Muir Awards |
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To relate the project to the National Park beyond the site of the centre field trips are carried out to Old Winchester Hill and to other areas of the South Downs National Park to explore the biodiversity of similar sites. This enabled us to link the work to John Muir’s adventurous spirit and give them the opportunity to explore and walk on a National Park reinforcing the beauty and necessity of such parks.
‘Great we are going on an adventure’. Pupil Comment
Pupils who disliked walking just a few yards in their early sessions were able to navigate and walk a portion of the South Downs way, a distance of five miles. On the walk we were able to explore various habitats of the river Meon, the local farms and grassland areas helping them develop a further understanding of conservation in the wider landscape. Surveying the areas for plants and comparing the more intensely worked areas with the areas recognised as sites of special scientific interest really brought home the need for conservation and sustainable management. |
Throughout their time here the pupils hear the story of John Muir. His childhood deeds and love for nature, his incredible passion and abilities out in the wilderness as well as his passion for books and engineering. He is a figure the pupils can relate to as he had such a hands-on approach.
The fact he was such an adventurer and explorer as well as taking the time to really study nature has enabled his story to really embed the principles of conservation and sustainability into their lives. Each student’s progress is monitored with an assessment tracker while they are here so that we have a record of how they are doing and can liaise with the school. As they progress through the awards they learn more in-depth skills and begin to share and teach the skills they are familiar with to other students. Recently the pupils have taught tree and plant identification, making bird feeders from willow and how to make a fire without matches. Some of the pupils have gone on to study more advanced skills that some adults would struggle to master. They have included pioneering projects, making platforms and ladders, a wood store with rope and wood (no nails), mud ovens, spoon carving and making fire from flint and steel and even from friction using a bow drill. They have also worked on a high level of tool use with saws, axes, carving knives and crook knives. Watching their skills and interest develop has been a joy to see. |
The Next Academic Year
This project is about to enter its fifth year and the long-term effects both on the pupils and the conservation sites are very much in evidence as the pupils keep coming back to make a further connection with their area and their projects. Two of the students who have been coming for many years have now achieved their Conserver award and are actively pursuing outdoor activities in their own lives.
Our plan for the coming year is to explore John Muir’s life in more detail drawing from his eight wilderness discovery books using drama, props and his inspirational quotes. We will expand the biodiversity programme to grow more wildflowers, create new areas for growing and plan to look more in-depth at the botany and the uses of plants. We wish to encourage the studying and recording of species and to continue the conservation tasks on the site to keep increasing biodiversity teaching the pupils about food webs and chains.
We aim to inspire the young people to be ambassadors of wild places as John Muir has so effectively demonstrated.
John Muir has been a constant source of inspiration for the pupils as he himself achieved so much on his own merit as an adventurer and as a man who had no initial academic training but taught himself about the natural world from a young age.
Many of the students have had such a difficult and complicated start in life, the John Muir award has really given them the opportunity to be engaged and to nurture a wild space in nature.
Jonathon Huet
March 2020
Our plan for the coming year is to explore John Muir’s life in more detail drawing from his eight wilderness discovery books using drama, props and his inspirational quotes. We will expand the biodiversity programme to grow more wildflowers, create new areas for growing and plan to look more in-depth at the botany and the uses of plants. We wish to encourage the studying and recording of species and to continue the conservation tasks on the site to keep increasing biodiversity teaching the pupils about food webs and chains.
We aim to inspire the young people to be ambassadors of wild places as John Muir has so effectively demonstrated.
John Muir has been a constant source of inspiration for the pupils as he himself achieved so much on his own merit as an adventurer and as a man who had no initial academic training but taught himself about the natural world from a young age.
Many of the students have had such a difficult and complicated start in life, the John Muir award has really given them the opportunity to be engaged and to nurture a wild space in nature.
Jonathon Huet
March 2020
