The next generation in nature

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There is a certain excitement we feel as Rangers and Environmental Educators when a young person or child at one of our sessions lights up and finds success, feeling unadulterated joy in the learning we are providing. Many of us will agree that environmental education needs to have meaning, and needs to inspire even the most disenchanted. In recent times there has been a plethora of awards come to the fore, but how many of them work in conjunction with each other, and how many deliver meaningful inspiring environmental education?

Enter the Scottish Junior Ranger Award, an award that sits on its own merits and that can be combined with additional awards to meet the requisite outcomes participants need to achieve in order to gain the award. From its inception, the Scottish Junior Ranger Award has been built around the core skills and attributes needed to become a working Ranger in Scotland.

Launched in 2013, the award has been used to support young people between the ages of 11-18 from all backgrounds across Scotland. Most use a collaborative approach, with one Ranger Service taking on the role of lead coordinator but with support from a range of other services and experts to provide the young people taking part with a host of different experiences and activities. Junior Ranger Groups usually meet once a month throughout the year to participate in different outdoor activities. It takes up to 12 months to gain the first level of the award and some groups offer a second level which focuses on leadership, giving participants more responsibility and development as they reach the top of the age bracket.

This is an internally accredited award which means that participants keep evidence of their involvement with the evidence they collect going towards their assessment. Delivery partners will review evidence of achievement against core competencies and skills detailed in the Junior Ranger Co-Ordinators Toolkit and issue an award if the young person has evidenced achievement against these 5 core competencies and 7 skills.

Many of the participants develop not only skills and knowledge in environmental conservation, but also develop both social and working skills which are highly transferable to other experiences which they might face in life. Instilling confidence in young people is such an important aspect of this program and is at the core of the framework. Considering that the environmental sector is the second least diverse industry, involving young people from all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities and cultures is crucial to improving the environmental sector as a whole and ensuring future generations are involved and encouraged to continue working in the sector.

Case Study

Heather Graham, Hopetoun House Junior Rangers

As a child I always loved nature. But living in an urban setting with no access to a car, experiences in nature and outdoor learning was very limited. However, there was a local education group at the Hopetoun House Estate which I was able to join. After being a part of the Young Hopetoun Club (a precursor to the Wildlife Champions group) from the age of 7, when I reached the upper age limit there was no immediate group to progress into. As a dedicated participant, I was allowed to stay on as a ‘helper’ - assisting the younger participants in the sessions and helping the ranger in carrying out some small tasks such as ensuring all equipment was returned and the rooms were adequately tidied after use. However, as I got older, there was a distinct lack of progression between this group and the adult volunteering group, Hopetoun Green Volunteers. Thankfully, Hopetoun House was one of the pilot locations for the Junior Ranger program. I jumped at the chance of getting involved, with the group having much more of a focus on environmental management, ecology and bushcraft skills. This gave me a lot of important skills not just in the environmental sector but also general skills like navigation, first aid and leadership. The group not only gave me confidence in myself but also showed me multiple possible career paths involving outdoor education, community engagement and practical work. As I reached the upper age limit for the Junior Rangers, I was able to volunteer as an assistant, still attending sessions where I can to help support the participants and support the running of the sessions. I even have had the opportunity to run a few sessions of my own design giving me the opportunity to think creatively about what would engage young people and have the responsibility in leading these sessions successfully. Out with the sessions, the Rangers at Hopetoun House have all been an incredible support over the years, helping with job applications, being references and supporting my development through further education. I can safely say that being a part of the Junior Ranger program has been invaluable to me in my development and having my Junior Ranger Award as well as my Junior Ranger Ambassador award has been an asset to my CV giving me a fantastic addition to my experience. For anyone looking into an award to not only aid young people's development and knowledge of environmental conservation, but to instil confidence and transferable working skills, I couldn’t recommend this award program higher. I continue to be involved in the award and hope we can encourage more and more groups around the country to implement this program and encourage the future generation.

Find out more about Junior Rangers here

or email: juniorrangers@scra-online.co.uk

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