Our future? It's in your hands

We are developing our youth engagement programme to find and nurture our surveyors of the future. With your donation we can provide resources to educate, engage and empower. Without the next generation our future is at stake.
Young volunteers

Why are the younger generation so important to our mission?

As we get older we find ourselves much more aware of, and often surprised by, the pace of change of the world around us. This is probably true now more than ever. With biodiversity in catastrophic decline and climate change already wreaking havoc around the world, the need to engage young people in our work is urgent. Finding and connecting with the surveyors of tomorrow will put us in a much stronger position to meet these global challenges by growing the number of people who, like us, are inspired by birds and informed by science. But we need your help. To ensure the long-term survival of BTO, and of the UK’s birds and the habitats in which they live, we need a step change in our efforts to find and connect with younger people.

Conor, Youth Advisory Panel
We’re passionate about helping BTO reach more young people, will you help us? Connor, 25, BTO Youth Advisory Panel member 

Our BTO Youth Advisory Panel

To engage young people, we need to listen to young people. We need to understand the barriers they face and hear their ideas about what they think will encourage more young people to become interested and engaged with BTO. Our Youth Advisory Panel was set up to help BTO get better at connecting with younger supporters. Over the course of 2020, our 10 panellists have been working with staff and the BTO Board on an exciting and inclusive Youth Engagement Strategy. They have provided personal insights, conducted market research, and raised the profile of our work, laying the groundwork for plans which will help BTO inspire the next generation of birdwatchers. The vision that the panel has developed for BTO’s engagement with young people is: “A diverse, vibrant community of young birders supported by the BTO, with accessible, youth-led opportunities inspiring young people to engage with nature and science.”

Make a donation today

Are you able to help ensure that the work of BTO continues for generations to come, by giving a donation today? If you would prefer to give us ongoing support, consider becoming a BTO member.

Donate now

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