Behind the scenes of our Young Voices for Nature film

Young people are the future guardians of our planet, and with the Young Voices for Nature project we’re helping them take action

11 October 2023

The Save Our Wild Isles campaign has encouraged everyone to do their bit to protect and restore nature in the UK. As part of that, the Young Voices for Nature initiative has brought together people aged 13-25 to help them develop the skills they need to call for change.

In partnership with the National Trust and the RSPB, we ran a series of workshops across the UK and online to share expertise in everything from storytelling to filmmaking, so that young people feel more confident about taking action for nature.

Participants heard advice from experts such as Toby Thompson, a performance artist who delivered a workshop on spoken word and scriptwriting, and enjoyed Q&A sessions with artists and influencers such as TV presenter Naomi Wilkinson and Eden Project founder Tim Smit.

As a culmination of the project, a film made by the young people – Our Beautiful Wild: Young Voices for Nature – is now available to watch on YouTube, with the aim of encouraging other youngsters around the UK to set up screenings to share its message.

Scroll down to see behind the scenes of the young filmmakers’ creative journey.

Young people sit in groups around tables discussing ideas for creating a film
Workshops were held at six locations around the UK, including Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct, which the National Trust has turned into an urban garden. At this session, groups collaborated on storyboard ideas for the film
At the Morden Hall workshop in south London, young filmmakers heard from community gardener and activist Tayshan Hayden Smith. Tayshan was just one of many guest speakers who inspired the participants
The filmmakers were responsible for every stage of the film’s creation. Here, storyboard cards are being checked to make sure the filming on location captures all the shots they need
As with the storyboarding part of the process, filming and photography were collaborative efforts, with discussion and cooperation encouraged. These young filmmakers took part in workshops at the RSPB’s Sandwell Valley nature reserve
Young people fulfilled all the roles behind and in front of the camera, with much of the filming taking place in nature across a range of urban and countryside locations
Our Beautiful Wild – created by the participants in the Young Voices For Nature workshops – is available to watch on YouTube now

Will you help save our wild isles?

Visit the Save Our Wild Isles site to find out what you can do at home, at work or at school to help protect UK nature.

ALL IMAGES © BEN SANDBROOK / WORLD PENCIL

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