How the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority aims to inspire thousands of youngsters

Officials at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are overseeing the bid to enhance a programme to boost education, public engagement and volunteering among young people and under-represented groups of visitors.

The project aims to inspire 1,500 young people from in and around the National Park to explore and enhance the Dales each year, while also providing 6,000 people from under-represented groups with activity days.

The programme is aiming to provide at least 7,000 volunteer days per year, with 15 per cent coming from under-represented groups, such as ethnic minorities.

It is hoped that a series of events and activities will attract at least 4,000 people each year to find out more about the National Park.

The chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Neil Heseltine, said: “Connecting young people with nature through educational, skills-based or volunteer activity is how we foster a new generation who understand, love, explore, and advocate for the unique environment of the National Park.

“Whether it’s school children spending a night under the stars, young people from Bradford visiting a farm or a young volunteer using their voice and influence on how the park is managed – all of these experiences can forge a lifetime connection with this special place.

“Recreation and health is a priority work programme for us, and these exciting and ambitious plans will help people manage their health and well-being by making a connection to nature or by taking part in recreational activities in the National Park.

“Young people should be the inspiration and catalyst for growing our green economy. Our approach will hopefully support their journey through education and volunteering into employment.”

Work is already under way to attract more young volunteers to help with projects to conserve the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

A youth volunteer officer was appointed in April of this year to sign up young people aged 14 to 30 to conservation projects through the Generation Green project, which is aimed at engaging the younger generations with nature and conservation in the Dales.

Other schemes which have been launched include Dales Action Days to encourage 14 to 18-year-olds to sign up to conservation projects, as well as the Up Skill, Down Dale scheme which provides training and placements for young people aged between 18 and 30.

The Yorkshire Dales witnessed a dramatically different demographic of first-time visitors during last year when coronavirus restrictions were relaxed.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in January that younger visitors, including ethnic minorities, had taken the opportunity to explore previously undiscovered countryside gems as the nation’s love affair with nature was rekindled.

The chief executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, David Butterworth, claimed that it was the biggest opportunity in decades to attract a far wider audience to enjoy the area’s famous landscapes.

Figures from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority showed that people aged between 16 and 24 made up just two per cent of visitors in 2017, while they equated to nine per cent last year - an increase of 350 per cent.

Members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority will be briefed about the programme to attract more young people and under-represented groups during a meeting in Leyburn on Tuesday (December 14).