Let's get out there and do something! Still waiting

[Maggie South]

I am interested in finding out the ways in which the NPA is planning to use the Park to promote the physical health and emotional well-being of children and young people through education and activities. The web-site seems to lack anything that would engage me if I were a young person!! Are our schools aware of the opportunities the South Downs NP could offer.......are there any? Can we get something more positive out there to promote health and well-being in children and young people?The Olympic Torch will pass through the Park next July.....................what is planned to promote the Park and also increased participation in physical activity around this unique event?

Is the NPA planning to appoint a post to co-ordinate work with schools? Get in touch. I have loads to discuss! I posted this blog for the first time in November and haven't had much response from the NPA yet!

[Learning through Landscapes]

Hi Maggie,

The Park and its special qualities undoubtedly give rise to a huge range of outside learning and play opportunities. In my experience the NPA is very aware of and receptive to how these opportunities can be exploited to improve children’s wellbeing, perhaps we could use this discussion to inform some of its future activities...particularly those that will engage children and young people. My experience is that hands-on experiential learning normally has the most sustained impact. I’ll get the ball rolling with a fairly off the wall suggestion...!!

How about bringing together tourism and schools in the Park by supporting schools to offer budget camping on the South Downs Way? Children would learn about enterprise, tourism, the benefits of walking (for health and pleasure), new cultures, design, planning laws, construction etc... and they would reap all the benefits of learning outside without even realising they are. The Park would benefit by increasing opportunities for sustainable (hopefully!) tourism and some schools may even be able to generate a little income from it.

Chloe

PS - Maggie, I have a message to call you about another matter, so hopefully we can discuss some of our plans for supporting children and young people in the area further.

[Joanna Glyde]

Hi Maggie,

Thanks for highlighting this issue, we recognise how important it is to get young people engaged in understanding and enjoying the South Downs. After all they will be responsible for caring for the National Park in the future.

 

As you’ll appreciate we don’t have a full education programme in place yet and we’re in the process of recruiting a dedicated Education Officer who will be developing this, but here are some of the things we’ve been up to over the past year:

• We’ve had great feedback about the tailored education pack that went out to around 650 schools in and around the National Park in Easter 2011;
  • We’ve taught a number of sessions in local schools and colleges and our rangers have lots of good local connections to schools within the National Park. Through these we’ve had contact with around 700 students and we hope to increase this considerably over the next year. For example we’ve just completed an eight week programme of activity on the Steyning Downland Scheme where year 7s from Steyning Grammar School took part in a range of conservation tasks on the downland and participated in forest school type activities.
  • We have coordinated a Learning and Outreach Technical Working Group consisting of around 30 key outdoor education providers within the National Park which has been looking at ways of working together and identifying the issues and opportunities for working with young people.
  • To encourage more young people to engage with the Park we have developed a number of child friendly activities that toured the Park at 27 events last summer and more are planned for this events season.
  • To tackle informal learning we are developing a relationship with the John Muir Trust and hope in the future to launch this award within the South Downs National Park.

 

We’ll be looking at health and wellbeing as we develop our Management Plan and most of this work will be developed in partnership. We are already talking to teams in the Districts about ways to promote exercise in the National Park such as Healthy Walking Initiative. We will also be looking at how we can work with partners to provide for specific groups such as young people and how we can facilitate better transport links between the National Park and urban areas to encourage people to make of use of the rights of way network and open access land.

 

Hope that helps answer some of your questions, we'd love to hear your ideas on this.

Thanks

Jo

[Darren Rolfe]

Hi Maggie

I Co-ordinate and lead on improvement and maintenance works on the rights of way across the NP area in West Sussex. I involve local communities and volunteers from across the NP area in my tasks, but I also welcome schools, colleges and youth groups to work alongside us.

 I have already worked with several schools to undertake rigts of way improvements in the NP area and I welcome any future involvement.

The young people I have worked with to date love the opportiunity to get out and do some practical work, (and, doubtless get filthy at the same time!!), but also, I think, are proud of the end product that they achieve with some even managing to utter a compliment!! Praise indeed from todays youngsters!!!

I would welcome any contacts or ideas that you may have to further this aspect of my work

Darren