Butterfly Conservation’s first ever Branch Youth Engagement Officer, Apithanny Bourne, explains why children are key to a butterfly-friendly future.
Last September I attended my first Butterfly Conservation Scotland Member’s Day in Perthshire. I’m pleased to report that I had a lovely time and left feeling inspired. Not only were the other members welcoming, but their enthusiasm for conservation was both admirable and infectious. I must admit – being more of a birder and ‘mammal watcher’ myself – butterflies had thus far failed to ‘do it for me’. And yet I came away feeling really touched at all the effort BC members invest in their protection.
Nevertheless, one thing played on my mind long after the enjoyment of the day had faded – the obvious lack of young members. I could have counted on one hand the number of people in my age group. To begin with I found this disappointing and then I found it plain worrying. I thought, where all the conservationists of the future?
I decided that I was going to have to do something about it and so I joined the East Scotland Committee as a youth engagement officer. The first thing I did was create a short online survey for people aged 12-25 to gauge their perceptions of nature- related activities. I also asked participants how they would most like to learn about nature and whether they had ever heard of BC.
Although still underway, initial survey responses indicate that young people do enjoy learning about nature outdoors - but a bigger social media presence from conservation charities would also keep them interested.
Being a youth engagement officer involves writing countless emails to various universities, libraries and schools. But, when I get a reply from somebody eager to find out more about BC it makes all the hard work worth it. My aim is to encourage as many young people as possible to be inspired by nature. I also want to make them more aware of the volunteering opportunities available.
I’m thoroughly looking forward to the summer ahead and the children’s talks we have planned. In the future I’d also love to run a butterfly art or photography competition for secondary school pupils – it would highlight that all sorts of talents can be used to aid conservation. I definitely think that every Branch could benefit from having a committee member whose main role is to reach out to the younger generation.
Read more of Apithanny’s work
