Junior Ranger Conference Report
“Too many old faces”

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“Too many old faces” was one of the comments made by Nelson Mandela when he gazed out at the 3000 delegates at the opening of the World Parks Congress in Durban last September. He stressed the need to actively engage younger people in decision making in our parks.

Junior Rangers
The Europarc Federation and the International Ranger Federation both attended the Congress and had already been working together on a Junior Ranger Project. This is a pan-European project designed to deliver practical programmes of ranger activities for young persons living in or close to protected areas. CMA member Colin Hart, a Ranger with the Broads Authority takes up the story.

The Junior Ranger Project is a pan-European project designed by the Europarc Federation to deliver practical programmes of ranger activities for young persons living in or close to partner protected areas. The main aims of the project are to:

- Create a network of youngsters ‘turned-on’ to their park so that they act as advocates for their protected area.
- Raise youngster awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of their park.
- Encourage friendship and group working.

The project has operated now for two seasons in 5 countries (Czech Republic; Poland; Germany; Slovenia; Hungay) with very positive results. It involves 12 to 15 children between the ages of 12 and 18 years on a two-week placement in each Protected Area carrying out Ranger work right next to the professional ranger. The problem now is that the project has been a bit too successful. It has produced some pretty charged-up individuals who need some kind of further structured involvement in their respective parks otherwise it is felt that they will be a wasted/lost resource.

So Europarc’s Project Supervisor, Barbara Mertin, decided to call-in all the existing participants, plus a few new potential participants, to evaluate the project. The main aim was that of exploring follow-up events /activities for the current Junior Rangers and enthusing potential new participants. Thirty delegates responded to the call (including myself) and the Bavarian State Ministry for Regional Development and Environmental Affairs sponsored the event.

Berchtesgaden National Park seminar
The seminar was held in held in Germany in the Berchtesgaden National Park and comprised:

- Presentations from current participating countries.
- Workshops on the way forward for ‘follow up’ activities, but also best practice and possible improvements for new and existing schemes.
- A look at other such youth schemes, the US National Park Service Junior Ranger programmes and the Piccole Guide programme in Lazio, Italy that involved younger children. Both of these schemes were very much more education based.
- A walk up the highest mountain the local Berchtesgaden NP Ranger could find!

There were also presentations from BTCV on volunteering, the Scout movement on structured youth involvement in outdoor activity and the John Muir Trust on environmental study awards.

Outcomes from the seminar

- All the participating parks were very positive about the project and were all planning further youth camps.The pilot project aims to enthuse and inspire young people on the role and work of the ranger.
- All new participants present showed keen interest in the project and discussed ways to be involved.
- Participating parks decided to run a series of further camps for their motivated kids to maintain the enthusiasm (though funding was an issue here).

Initially I was sceptical on several points:

- The selection procedure employed in each area involved getting the best creative/academic students. What about those socially excluded types?
- We are already doing environmental education work in our park. What could this additionally offer?
- We have a voluntary work force already active and busy.
- Where was I going to find the time to do yet more?

After the workshops (and further out-of-hours discussions with the European neighbours), my outlook began to change quite markedly. I soon realised that here in UK we’ve got things relatively cosy. Contrast this with common challenges faced by our east European colleagues such as:

- Poor pay.
- Huge areas of land to manage.
- Lack of volunteers.
- Problems recruiting staff as no one has the relevant experience.
- Very few people apply for the jobs anyway.

In some cases the parks are viewed with suspicion by the local community and community involvement in park management is low [at least we have that in common!].

The Junior Ranger Project is a way into the community and is producing some pretty committed youngsters who with some further input could be volunteers/ future employees of the park.

Future For Junior Ranger On My Patch?
The Junior Ranger project works because it involves young people working with a Ranger, achieving goals in a natural setting. It’s a ‘feel-good’ thing and a fantastic experience to encounter. The project is adaptable and you can apply it to your youth groups depending on what you are trying to achieve, as long as it’s achieving the project goals and involves the ranger leading the way. If we are involved in youth working anyway, and most of us are, what’s the problem with flying it under a junior or youth ranger banner?

Personally I can only see benefits:

- An excellent PR opportunity for the Parks involved which should lead into sponsorship possibilities. 2 great points to take to park management and/or members!
- Technical assistance and back-up (including JR uniform items) from Europarc both in setting-up a project and where appropriate, limited funds for setting-up and running a youth camp.
- The possibility of international youth camps with partner parks.
- Creating a network of European rangers sharing best practice wherever possible, further promoting the professionalism of the ranger role.
- Supporting a project that supports Rangers and youth throughout Europe.

I already have a captive bunch of young motivated school kids that I will hone down to the keenest (not the easiest or cleverest), which they will demonstrate to me by some new exciting imaginative way (as yet I haven’t a clue!) and we’ll do a camp together in deepest England - rangering like mad. I’m hooked. Why don’t you look seriously into it and get involved.

Colin Hart

Putting things into Practice

Following-on from the above workshop, Sally Kempson from Peak Park (one of the attendees) has started putting things into practice as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Peak Park ranger service. Sally reports:

A Youth Ranger residential programme is currently being piloted in the Peak District National Park in 2004. This will be a residential activity in partnership with three schools around the Peak National Park. The pilot project aims to enthuse and inspire young people on the role and work of the ranger, the management issues of the National Park and to provide real work opportunities and educational experiences within nature conservation.

The pilot Youth Ranger programme is in three parts:

- The first stage involves in a week-long residential course where children learn the rudiments of navigation & route planning, management of woodland and traditional woodland craft skills. Participants will sleep under the stars; cook on open fires and also look at management issues and decision-making about the park (This stage has already taken place).
- In the second follow-up stage, participants will attend day-long sessions and will carry out skills such as conservation work; ecological surveying and interpretation and guided walks.
- The final stage is for the young people to become advocates for the Youth Ranger programme and for the National Park by carrying out activities in their own communities and local environment and by encouraging other youngsters to be involved in sustainable development.

The scheme is aimed at strengthening links between communities and the National Park and to give young people a better understanding and further interest in the environment in which they grow up. It is envisaged that links will be made through a Youth Ranger newsletter and a website and the formation of a young persons forum. The children’s skills and achievements will be accredited through the National Park’s formal ranger training scheme. Finally, two lucky youngsters from the programme will be selected to attend the International Youth Ranger camp in Austria in August.

Sally Kempson

Europarc Federation

Email: Barbara Mertin

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