From January to May 2024, 20 Year 7 students from North Liverpool Academy embarked on an inspiring journey with Action for Conservation (AFC) through our WildED education programme. Over seven interactive sessions, led by AFC's amazing North West Programme Coordinators, Alice and Aurianna, these young environmentalists participated in knowledge-building, project planning, and hands-on activities that connected them to nature and empowered them to take action themselves.
A Buzz of Inspiration: Creating a Future Vision for their Green Spaces
The students designed their project with a legacy in mind, with the central idea focusing on transforming a neglected space at the school into a vibrant, eco-friendly garden. The students created vision maps for the garden, discussing how to enhance it for wildlife and the school community as a team. Guided by the future visioning exercise, they pictured the garden four years into the future when they’d be leaving school, what would they want to leave as their legacy? A place where their ideas would continue to grow.
Students designed a haven for insects that would contribute to biodiversity on their school grounds and decided the first action they wanted to take was to build their own bug hotel. Splitting into different groups they all took on a different role, they created plans for the hotel, obtained permissions, gathered natural materials like sticks, stones, and dried leaves, and even sourced recycled materials to bring their vision to life.
During their final WildED workshop students assembled the hotel, filling it with materials they collected and planting pollinator-friendly plants like lavender on the hotel’s roof.
Left to right: Students assemble the outer frame of their bug hotel, students add materials to create microhabitats within the bug hotel, and the completed bug hotel.
Small Actions, Big Impact: The Road Ahead
As the WildED programme at North Liverpool Academy came to a close, the students left with more than just a bug hotel, they now have the environmental knowledge and skills needed to feel empowered to take more action at school and in their communities. WildED has shown them that even small-scale actions within their school could spark significant environmental change. They've been so inspired that now they're planning future mini projects including a beach clean and a plan to improve air quality in their local area.
North Liverpool Academy’s 'Eco Scholars' have shown that when passion meets opportunity, young people can truly shape a better, greener future—one project at a time.
If you'd like to learn more about WildED or would like to run the programme at your schools or youth group get in touch at: programmes@actionforconservation.org
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