The Green Team brings new life to parks. Volunteers roll up their sleeves, turning urban wastelands into lush, vibrant gardens that transform communities.
The Alpkit Foundation is delighted to support The Green Team, an environmental organisation based in Edinburgh. The organisation works with young people to restore and conserve wild places. Projects are undertaken which are centred around a conversational task, and children are encouraged to explore the countryside and to take part in activities such as arts and crafts.
The Green Team would like to take 8 disadvantaged young people on a bothy trip to the Scottish Borders for 2 nights. The children have been selected by school staff and social workers as those who struggle at school, have chaotic homes, lack confidence or have challenging behaviour. During the trip, the group will undertake tasks such as cooking, conservation work, hiking, navigation and woodland crafts. The expedition will take place after the participants have completed an initial 8 week programme in outdoor learning and conservation volunteering.
Penny, from The Green Team, explains the importance of the trip. “The young people involved are unlikely to have had the opportunity to stay in a bothy before and may not have had a night away from Edinburgh. They may not have been involved in school residential trips due to the barrier of cost. We have done this kind of thing before and the effect has been transformational on the young people involved, in building their confidence, resilience, and the ability to take on challenges. They form new friendships and are able to develop emotionally and improve communication in the company of significant role models. They develop a love of the outdoors and rediscover how much fun it is to play.”
Help is needed from the Alpkit Foundation as The Green Team aim to not pass on any cost of the trip to the families of the young people involved, or the schools that are supporting their involvement. Funding is already secure for the 8 week programme, but in order to take the experience of being in the outdoors to the next level, more help is needed. The Alpkit Foundation will provide funding to support the 2 day expedition.