Gen Z encouraged to walk on the wild side

1 hour ago

John BrayBrandon Marsh

News image — Daisy Cubitt and Megan Purchase help organise events across Warwickshire to get young people involved in nature

BBC Two women stood in front of a blossom tree. The woman on the right has red hair with a cream jacket and black t-shirt with light green trousers. The woman on the left has long brown hair and is wearing a green full-length coat with black trousers — Daisy Cubitt and Megan Purchase help organise events across Warwickshire to get young people involved in nature

"Everyone can definitely make a difference."

On a beautiful spring day, at a nature reserve just six miles from the centre of Coventry, Daisy Cubitt and Megan Purchase have a simple message to deliver.

They are part of GenWild, a Warwickshire Wildlife Trust group looking to persuade people aged 18-30 to interact with nature, conservation and wildlife. Their target is the Gen Z generation and they use the power of social media to promote their work.

"There is a lot of stress around the way the climate's changing, the way that our green spaces are disappearing and I think we don't really have to look very hard to find the people that want to make a difference," they said.

Two women looking out over a wetland reserve with white reeds in the foreground. The woman on the left has red hair with a cream jacket and black t-shirt with light green trousers. The woman on the right, who is pointing into the distance, has long brown hair and is wearing a green full-length coat with black trousers — Wetland reserve Brandon Marsh is a popular location for birdwatchers

"I've always been involved in nature and I've been volunteering for 10 years in wildlife and I've always wanted to educate the next generation," said Cubitt.

"If you want to do something, you've actually got to get out of the house and it's not as hard as they might think to do something good for their local green space or even just their garden - it all helps."

The team post videos on their Instagram account highlighting the work they do across Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull and the events that they stage.

"I think that there's so many people in that sort of 18 to 30-year-old generation that are almost just looking for us," said Purchase.

"There is a lot of stress around the way the climate's changing, the way that our green spaces are disappearing and I think we don't really have to look very hard to find the people that want to make a difference, so we we've managed to connect to them quite easily through a lot of social media."

A grey, steel wind turbine next to trees and grassland at a nature reserve — Brandon Marsh is one of more than 60 nature reserves managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

Wandering around Brandon Marsh, where Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is based, the pair highlight the benefits of nature and the outdoor world on young people's mental health.

"I do think that going outside is the best therapy for anybody at any age," said Cubitt.

Purchase agreed: "I think a lot of our events do focus on the connection between well-being and nature and that is a good route because of the state of the world, the eco-anxiety around that."

She added: "I think it's not about trying to make a difference to the whole world, it's trying to make local people make a difference in their local environment.

"Each little piece will add together to make a big difference. "