Go Wild Week 2024
Wild Youth has marked the beginning of a new school term with their annual Go Wild! Week.
Following the success of last year, Wild Youth’s Go Wild! Week returned for a second year in a row. Taking place from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th September, the week-long celebration is designed to get young people to engage with nature and their surroundings in a way that fosters respect and appreciation for the natural environment.
To mark the week, Wild Youth selected Belfast Boys’ Model School as their chosen school for 2024. In the run up to the week, the school received a Resource Pack to help support environmental learning. The pack contained:
- Belfast Hills Partnership Bird Migration Posters
- USB drive loaded with BHP Environmental Education Resource Guide and OPAL Invertebrates ID guides – PDF
- Compost
- Reusable plant pots
- Crocus corms
- Native wildflower seeds
The packs contain resources to support learning both in and outside of the classroom through practical lessons. By supplying seeds for planting it is also hoped that the grounds of Boys’ Model can improve in biodiversity.
Nature Sessions
Year 8 pupils were also selected to take part in bird-ringing sessions throughout the week. Through the hands-on sessions, students got to encounter some common birds from the local area up close. Daily sessions, delivered by Aidan Crean, helped students understand the importance of monitoring and recording population numbers. The sessions demonstrated how bird-ringing informs our understanding of bird survival and decline. Aidan was delighted by the enthusiasm shown by all classes throughout the entire week.
As is becoming something of a Go Wild Week tradition, rainy weather prevented students from getting outside on one of the days. However, this didn’t deter the students from engaging with nature. Debbie Doolittles, of Doolittles Wildlife Rescue, was on hand to save the day introducing the students to Holly the Hedgehog and Joe the Owl. Debbie uses these animals as educational resources and the Year 8s were fascinated by the chance to see wild animals in such close detail.
“Go Wild Week has fast become one of the most important dates in the Wild Youth calendar. Outdoor learning is a crucial element to personal development amongst young people, but unfortunately it is becoming less commonplace in the classroom. Young people in urban areas in particular can feel removed from nature and we wanted to show that nature is all around us and to highlight how it nurtures mental and physical wellbeing.” – Silvia Galli, Belfast Hills Partnership Outreach Officer
Wild Youth is a joint project between the Belfast Hills Partnership and Ulster Wildlife, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund for Northern Ireland. This project delivers wild wellbeing sessions with 11-25 year olds, in and around the Belfast Hills, using nature as a tool to connect with young people and increase their physical and mental health, incorporating the 5 steps to wellbeing.