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Green Shoots: the project so far
You can read more about the Green Shoots programme on the main Green Shoots page. This page gives you a flavour for what we've been doing this year.
See below for: what people have to say | reports from 2006
PARTNERSHIP WORKING
In 2006 Green Shoots has delivered a huge variety of projects working with the following organisations:
Careers Scotland / Liberton High
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (Award Inclusive)
St Augustine’s Award Inclusive
Maggie Bam’s Award Inclusive
Go4It
Midlothian Cool Down Crew
Princes Trust
Braidburn School
Broughton High Link Unit
Working Together
Trinity Academy and Forest Schools
Children’s Parliament
Muirhouse Youth Development
Lauriston Hall Play Day
North Edinburgh Youth Forum
Edinburgh Zoo education centre
Balerno High Award Inclusive
Liberton High behaviour support / Communitiy Education
Drumond High/ Education Welfare
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY
“The Green Shoots programme helped young people,
socially excluded due to mental health, homelessness, drug and alcohol
problems, come together and work as part of a team.
“The group work enables these young people to build both their confidence
and motivation, as well as developing a sense of awareness and respect
for their own environment.”
Mark Harrison - Keyworker, Midlothian Training Services
“The Green Shoots projects have been innovative and flexible in their
approach to working with our marginalised young people and have been of
the highest standard. Their young person centred approach has not only
enabled our participants to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
sections, but also enjoy the outdoors in a new and positive way.”
Fiona Macaulay - Award Inclusive Development Officer
Some comments from the young people:
I loved making sausages over the fire, so now I can
make them at home. I also liked making fires, so if I’m ever stranded
somewhere I’ll know how to keep warm. I would make no changes to
the programme, I like the way everything was.
[Neely, aged 15]
I most enjoyed leaving school and coming to the woodland.
The best thing we did was carving sticks with knives.
[Lee, aged 14]
I give the programme 10 out of 10! Everything was
good.
[Ryan, aged 14]
GREEN SHOOTS REPORTS 2006
Community Learning Midlothian
Cool Down Crew
December saw Green Shoots and the Cool Down Crew meet once again at Vogrie
Country Park for another community project. A beautifully sunny December
day saw 8 YP get stuck into cutting back invasive rhodedendrons. Juice
and bananas kept energy levels and competitive spirits high, as the participants
set off on the orienteering challenge. The course was completed in record
time and the day was rounded off with smiling faces.
Broughton High School
Following
on from a successful taster day in June, 5 pupils from the Behaviour Support
Link Unit completed a programme of 8 sessions at Vogrie Country Park.
The group engaged in a huge variety of conservation tasks, ranging from
cutting and burning invasive species and planting new saplings, to removing
remnant fencing and repairing paths and drainage ditches. The group certainly
took ownership of the area they worked in and it was amazing to see the
change from week to week of the woodland environment as a direct result
of their hard work.
The group also spent a great deal of time exploring the Country Park fully, whether by orienteering, completing tree ID’s, scavenger hunts and nightlines, practicing ancient hunting skills with their rabbit sticks, or playing the infamous stag and doe. There was no end to the group’s enthusiasm!
The
final session saw the group have the opportunity to put their newly learnt
skills to the test by completing their own conservation challenge. Blindfolded
and led to a new location, the group used their knowledge and skills to
improve the area for the benefit of others. A plan was quickly hatched
and the participants busied themselves cutting back rhodedendron, brashing
the lower branches of some pine trees, and removing outgrown wire tree
guards from the base of some larches. The group celebrated their achievements
with a huge slap up cook out of cheesy toast, beans, sausages and birthday
cake! Perfect preparation for a final monster game of stag and doe!
The successes of the programme did not end there however. The group were keen to share their experiences and woodland space with their relatives. It was fantastic to see the young people guide their families around the park and talk about the work they had undertaken over the last two months, clearly proud of their achievements. Parents and carers participated in some games to explore the environment and the day was rounded off with hot chocolate round the fire. Not only was they day an unprecedented success, but also the benefits of the programme and new found confidence in the YP have been commented on by teachers and supporting staff at Broughton HS.
Liberton High School Forest School
November saw Green Shoots launch the first Edinburgh and Lothian’s
Forest School demonstration project. Due to run for a full academic year
of 24 weeks, a group of 8 young people from Liberton HS were identified
by guidance staff as some of the most vulnerable pupils in the school
that would benefit from an alternative educational curriculum. The participants,
often with chronic attendance issues, quickly chose whether to opt into
the programme and a core of 6 young people was soon established.
The Forest School is unique in that it is primarily based at one woodland site, (Sanctuary Wood in the Pentlands), in order to encourage the participants to take on a sense of ownership for their environment. The first term saw the young people engage in a variety of team building tasks from solving team challenges to supporting each other to climb Jacob’s Ladder at Bonaly Scout Centre. The group then began to explore the boundaries of their site with orienteering challenges and treasure hunts. The group responded well to physical tasks and it was not long before individuals were using tools to make seating and stakes for the fire surround. Fire building became a regular activity in each session, not only to provide the group with the opportunity to practice their fire lighting skills, but to provide a cooking platform for some much needed soup and hot snacks.
With the fire pit and surround well established, the other main task was to begin building a group shelter. Participants learnt valuable skills in lashing, harvesting poles, snedding and using tools appropriately. Good progress has been made to building a 5 star shelter.
Of course there was plenty opportunity to learn further skills in numerous conservation tasks. The group got stuck into clearing invasive species of holly and rhodedendron from paths at the nearby Scout Centre. Vulnerable saplings were dug up and relocated to more suitable areas, and some sterling work was done on felling and clearing trees and overgrown bushes from the ‘dog poo’ amenity at Bonaly car park.
It was fantastic to see the young people turn up regularly to each session, regardless of the weather, and begin to take group responsibility for the site and each other. Great progress was also made with working safely with the tools. All this hard work saw the group earn a snowboarding session at Hillend, but not before yomping up two peaks in the Pentlands, leaving the staff panting behind. With some interesting tasks and challenging activities planned for the next few months, term 2 is sure to be an exciting one for everyone involved.
Community Learning Midlothian
Cool Down Crew
October’s Cool Down Crew comprised of 12 young people eager to
get their hands on the tools and stuck into the task. Keeping them on
their toes during this short session we had a go at rhododendron clearance,
orienteering and managed to remove about 40 metres of remnant fencing.
They certainly achieved their challenge- it must have been the bananas
that did it!
Edinburgh Zoo Education Conference
As part of the zoo’s autumn conference about local conservation opportunities,
the Green Team worked with 24 young people from high schools from around
Edinburgh and the Lothians. We made bird boxes which the pupils took home
to put up in their garden or local woodland site to encourage wildlife
to their local area.
Princes Trust
Another new team were introduced to conservation as part of their community
introduction in the Autumn. They visited Vogrie Country Park and worked
on removing remnant fencing, learnt some responsible fire lighting skills,
and tested their navigation skills on the orienteering course. This group
continued self led practical work throughout their programme under the
guidance of their Team Leader.
Balerno High Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award Inclusive
Balerno High Award Inclusive group are this year working towards their
Silver Award. To achieve their Service section of the Award they have
chosen to work with Green Shoots. This remarkable and committed group
have bought into the spirit of the Award and most of the projects are
taking place out of school hours. So far the group have worked at Ross
Moss Local Nature Reserve, in the Pentland Hills, in East Lothian’s
Binning Wood and at Vogrie Country Park. They have cleared back vegetation
along a path, helped to protect a raised bog, cleared rhododendron and
taken away old fencing. Though they have not just got their hands dirty-
but spent time exploring different country locations. Trough a range of
activities, they have developed trust, teamwork, and independence, whilst
learning new skills. Two further sessions are planned for spring 2007.
St Augustine’s Duke
of Edinburgh’s Award Inclusive
The alternative curriculum Duke of Edinburgh’s Award group of 12
young people have been participating in Green Shoots sessions whilst working
towards their Service section. This autumn they have visited Cammo and
Vogrie Country Park to take part in a conservation task as well as environmental
activities. So far they have cleared rhododendron and helped clear up
a broken fence. They have also had a go at orienteering, carving, cooked
food over an open fire and played a variety of team and environmental
games. Two further sessions are planned for spring 2007.
Lauriston Castle
Dodging the torrential raindrops, wee tots from the play schemes around
the city came to search for bugs, minibeasts and fishes living in the
pond and bushes as part of the Lauriston Castle Play Day. Throughout the
day nearly 40 young people had a go at being ‘nature detectives’.
Go4It
As part of the City of Edinburgh Council's Summer Go4It programme 12 young
people visited the Falls of Clyde and the Water of Leith. During these
days we found out which animals lived in these special places. We followed
their tracks to discover the secret lives of badgers, foxes, rabbits and
even an escaped cow! At the Water of Leith we looked at smaller wildlife-
finding minibeasts under rocks and in the bushes and a variety of pond
life living in the river. We also had a go and cutting and pulling invasive
Japanese Knotweed.
Muirhouse Youth Development
Five young people aged 11- 12 got busy felling rhododendron at Cammo Country
Park. Armed with bow saws and loppers their youth workers watched with
amazement as the young folk stayed on task and rose to the challenge of
using the tools responsibly. Though it was not all work! We sat around
the roaring fire and enjoyed bacon rolls, hot chocolate and marshmallows,
and had a go at some wood carving. It really was a fabulous day.
On Midsummer’s day, a group of children from Midlothian primary schools representing the Children’s Parliament journeyed to Vogrie Country Park to complete their John Muir Award. During the day they cut and burned the invading rhododendron and had a go at a range of environmental activities including a blindfolded night line and camouflage games. More below ...
Trinity Academy and Forest
Schools
During the summer term, eight students identified as being ‘at risk
of exclusion’ from Trinity Academy took part in a project based at
Carberry Estate. This project was set up as a pilot of the Forest Schools
programme whereby the group visited the same woodland for each of their
eight sessions. They worked together to build a fire site, seating and
a group shelter. They also learnt new skills, using sharp tools, felling
trees, path maintenance, cooking over an open fire, carving, and so much
more. In particular this project was aimed at improving attendance, working
with challenging behaviour, teamwork and communication, raising self esteem
and introducing a range of vocational skills. The young folk did really
well and I think they will always remember the project that gave them
some special time to be listened to. More below ...
Community Learning Cool Down Crew
Midlothian “Cool Down Crew” is an outreach project for young
folk at risk of exclusion, run in partnership with Dalkeith Fire Brigade.
As part of their community project they joined Green Shoots for a session
at Vogrie Country Park. Learning how to use a variety of tools, the 8
young people cut and burned invasive laurel that was taking over an area
of the Park. The fire was then used to make our hot chocolate and cook
sausages as a reward for all our hard work.
Broughton High
The Link Unit behaviour support at Broughton High and Working Together
teamed up to offer some of their pupils the opportunity to work with Green
Shoots in June. 4 young people visited Vogrie Country Park for a taster
day and took part in clearing some old fencing and cutting and burning
invasive snowberry. The day was a great success combining many activities
including a scavenger hunt, killer Frisbee, hot chocolate and marshmallows
cooked over the fire as well as wood carving. A follow up programme is
planned for the Autumn.
Princes Trust
12 young people from the Princes Trust participated in a community project
with Green Shoots at Auchendinny. Our task for the day was to open up
and restore the historic railway station sidings along the dismantled
railway. This involved the exciting task of felling and burning trees.
We put up safety signs and had to learn to fell the trees very accurately
along the busy path. It was a great achievement to complete this task
in one session.
Braidburn School
In June 2006, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award group from Braidburn
special school, embarked on 2 sessions with Green Shoots. We delivered
short environmental education sessions with 2 groups in the Pentlands.
Linking in with a wheel chair user group of young people was really exciting.
The young folk were delighted to join in with scavenger hunt games and
create pictures out of natural materials. We also learnt about the land
management, flora and fauna of the Pentland Hills.
For the second session we journeyed to the Water of Leith to tackle a section of invasive snowberry. The young folk all learnt to use loppers safely and we had a big fire to burn what we chopped.
CHILDRENS' PARLIAMENT AT VOGRIE COUNTRY PARK, 21ST JUNE 2006
Midsummer's
Day was the perfect day for getting stuck into some conservation work
and getting really dirty. The group was a mixture of children from different
primary schools in Midlothian, all of whom were working together as representatives
of the Children's Parliament.
They were embarking on their John Muir Award and were ready to meet the 4 challenges to discover, explore, conserve and share their experiences of a wild place. Our wild place for the day was the Brownie wood in Vogrie Country Park, a steep wood where the plant invader rhododendron was trying to make a come back. In small teams we cut the rhododendron and dragged it to the fire where it was carefully placed on the flames in such a way that it did not put out the fire, always a bit of a danger.
After lunch we carved sticks with small carving knives to toast marshmallows on the fire. We also did a bit of team building, getting small blindfolded groups to work their way along a 50m rope attached at waist height through the trees and undergrowth. This was an exercise in communication and they all did really well. They had the chance at a second attempt to redo the course without shoes and socks and it was great to see how many of them chose to go barefoot despite the nettles!
We rounded off the day with a camouflage game, only
after we had made ourselves 'invisible' with mud and leaves.
It was great fun and we can't wait to do it again!
Penny Radway
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TRINITY ACADEMY AND FOREST SCHOOLS
The programme was based on trips going out of school and visiting a Carberry Estate (Buccleuch Estates) to take part in a variety of practical conservation tasks, environmental education and survival skills. The activities are carefully selected so that the young people are able to complete small manageable tasks, work together and feel a sense of achievement, with an end result of promoting positive behaviour.
Forest School
Forest School is an inspirational process that enables children to build
confidence and self esteem through hands on learning in a woodland environment.
It involves contact with a local woodland on a regular basis and over
an extended period of time. Forest School is attracting a lot of interest
amongst education professionals, and the impact of this different way
of learning in relation to academic performance, general well being, behaviour
and social interaction, is increasingly being recognised.
Attendance
Eight students (aged 14) were selected for the programme, and then opted
in to participate. There was close to 100% attendance by all the young
people throughout the programme. This is especially important as some
of the students had low attendance records.
Participation
The young people in the group all had fairly short attention spans. Activities
were devised so that successes and achievements would quickly be made
and realised. Although participation was always encouraged, it was noticed
that group activities and starting a new activity were the most difficult
times for the young people. I high staff ratio eased transition times
and helped with participation.
New
skills
The young people were introduced to a variety of new skills throughout
the programme. This involved using sharp tools such as saws, billhooks,
axes and knives. The young people all learned the vocational skills of
how to cut down and thin trees, sharpen stakes, and make drainage ditches
to help conserve the woodland. The young people also enjoyed individual
carving projects. For most, the highlight was lighting the fire each session,
cooking sausages over the fire and making hot chocolate. All the students
also completed their John Muir Award.
Respect & trust; Boundaries
Generally, the students responded extremely well to the respect and trust
given to them. However, developing respect was not without incident!
Nevertheless, there was never a major incident or an incident involving
misuse of tools. Indeed by the end of the programme, all the students
were using all the tools appropriately, with good ability and care for
the safety regulations. It was momentous when the young people were at
the stage whereby equipment could be left in a pile on site and the students
could check out each tool and use with lower supervision.
Adapting
to new environments
It should not be overlooked that the students all responded very well
in the woodland setting. The young people were encouraged to explore and
play through solo and group activities. The young people were able to
take ownership of the woodland by creating and building seating, a fire
site and group shelter. The group all overcame challenges of trying something
new, getting dirty, sitting on logs and going to the toilet outside.
A model for promoting positive behaviour?
The Forest School model has definitely had a positive impact on the young
people and has encouraged joined up thinking between organisations.
Significant changes in behaviour were noted in all the students. A significantly
longer programme (1 year) would help to enable long term changes in behaviour.
What did the students think?
The young people were extremely positive about the programme, and this
is supported by their attendance and achievement records.
The following information was gained from the evaluation
forms the young people individually completed in the woodland during the
final session.
- On average, the young people rated the programme as 8.3/10
- High Points included tying knots to build the group shelter, making
fires, carving sticks, everything (!), learning about knives, using a
hatchet to make pegs and cooking over the fire.
- Low Points included repeated instructions, singing in the minibus, slugs
and midges, playing games and getting bullied a bit.
Conclusions
This pilot Forest School programme has been extremely effective and beneficial
in numerous ways. This has been demonstrated by the significant changes
observed in the students who participated in the programme.
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