Youth Council - The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

About us

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside was founded in 1962 by people like you who knew they needed to take action.

Since then we have grown to be the largest nature conservation body in the area. We are uniquely positioned to lead change our region, working at a grass roots, local level whilst also being part of a strong cohesive movement.

Join our Youth Council!

Our Youth Council is a group of young people aged 13 to 25 year olds, that live in Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. They are passionate about protecting the local environment, inspiring social action and creating positive change. The Council works to build a rich and biodiverse future for our area, where nature's recovery is the priority, because as one Council member stated “Nature's future is our future.”

The Council ensures that the voices of young people are at the core of the work of Lancashire Wildlife Trust, so that we truly represent our communities. We increasingly want to see the voices and ideas of young people shine through in our work.

What will I get out of attending the Lancashire Wildlife Trust Youth Council

Gain experience of team working and improve your interpersonal skills.

Gain communication skills, written skills, public speaking, campaigning and photography skills.

Learn to advocate for nature and for others.

Learn to improve and enhance your leadership skills.

Gain John Muir Awards.

Enhance your CV and improve your employability.

Make new friends and take part in regular fun social events.

Have the opportunity to be part of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and other Wildlife Trusts across the country.

What do I need to be able to do?

Be able to represent the views of young people.

Help get other young people involved in our campaigns.

Share ideas and enjoy discussing things.

Take ideas and information from the Council and the Trust and share with other young people.

Attend our quarterly (four a year) Youth Council meetings, and take part in other events or campaigns.

Have basic IT skills so you can respond to email communications.

Have access to a laptop or smartphone so you can join online meetings, using platforms such as Zoom.

What commitment do I need to make?

You will need to:

Be able to attend our quarterly meetings. (They will always be at a weekend or early evening, so will never affect attendance at school or college, and might be online or face-to-face).

Help to proactively share and progress our campaigns, by sharing on social media, talking to others, making campaign materials, or giving talks at your school or college.

Write articles or blogs on projects or issues the Trust is focusing on.

Attend training and events to help you fulfil your role on Council.

Spend some time outside of the meetings helping to campaign or read relevant emails or communications.

Be able to talk to other young people within The Trust and beyond to share information and advocate for other young people.

Be a member of the Youth Council for 1-year.

Represent other young people.

How will The Lancashire Wildlife Trust support me in this role?

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust will:

Ensure that Council Meetings are fun and engaging, with opportunities to learn about the great work of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

Provide a variety of free training that will help you fulfil the role of Council member.

Have a named member of staff to support and mentor you in the role. They will help ensure you gain transferable skills to help you progress and gain the experiences and knowledge you seek via this role.

Offer social events (some online) for Council members.

Ask you to register as a Trust volunteer so you will gain all the benefits and opportunities given to all our amazing volunteers, that include training events and social events across the year.

Offer all Youth Council members the opportunity to gain John Muir Awards via their work on the Council, that will help enhance your CV.

Help with transportation to and from the Youth Council events, if you are struggling to find your own way there, so you are not out of pocket.

Provide light refreshments at events.

Offer a free years’ membership to the Trust, so you get our brilliant Lapwing magazine and regular updates.