The Youth in Nature Summit 2026 was a vibrant gathering that brought together passionate young people from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared love for the natural world and a commitment to conservation.
Held across two days, attendees immersed themselves in inspiring talks, interactive workshops, and meaningful conversations that sparked connections and hope for the future of nature. From the inspiring opening plenary to the lively discussions on careers, activism, and mental wellbeing, the Summit created a welcoming space where science, art, and community intertwined.
- Read on to hear how much Esther, Rhys, Saffron and Anna enjoyed, learned and experienced the Summit!
Day 1 - A spark of inspiration
Day 1 sparked a vibrant sense of community through inspiring plenary talks and interactive workshops, igniting engaging conversations and connections among the attendees.
Esther – Day 1
After months of planning and organising, it was rewarding to see the Summit come together. This was my first Summit, and what particularly struck me was the sense of energy in the room from the very beginning. Having a plenary talk at the start of the day from Sophie Pavelle brought everyone together, which helped to initiate the sense of community that we aimed to create during the Summit. Sophie took us on a journey through her career as a science communicator and author, which captivated the audience; a great way to start the Summit!
Following this, attendees had the chance to choose between different workshops on topics ranging from species reintroductions to AI. These were designed to be more interactive and gave the attendees more opportunity to discuss these topics in more depth and share their opinions with others. We were lucky to have speakers from a range of backgrounds who shared their experiences with enthusiasm and joined in the attendees’ discussions. It was also fantastic to see attendees really engaging with the sessions too and making the most of the chance to ask the speakers questions about their work.
The day ended with a second plenary talk, from the distinguished ornithologist Tim Birkhead. Like Sophie, he gave a very engaging talk, centred around his research work.
By this point in the day, the room was buzzing with conversations, which really highlighted the success of the first day of the Summit in helping to create connections between attendees.
Rhys – Day 1
The great success of the Youth in Nature Summit is its ability to facilitate conversations, and in this regard, the 2026 Summit excelled. Saturday had a specific theme of ‘Connections’, with talks from activism, alternative pathways into conservation (ranging from an illustrator to a folk musician to the illustrator for Birds in Greenspaces).
The panel on the merits and drawbacks of AI in the conservation industry stood out for the discussions had by attendees, drawing interest even beyond expectations, and leading to discourse (all polite and positive) which could not be limited to just the hour’s session. What perhaps best encapsulates the theme of Connections for me, however, was the time after Saturday’s plenary. Volunteers were brought together from the youth wing of the BTO, ZSL, RSPB.
Many of us have struggled to find others with similar natural interests as us, so sharing pizza, games and music brought us all a sense of joy and catharsis we all wanted. Perhaps this was not scientific, or even directly bird-related, but it was all about people. Uniting young people, bringing people together with a shared passion, fostering connections that may in time blossom into scientific and conservation success.
Ultimately, what I have to take away from Saturday of the Youth in Nature Summit is a sense of hope and a suite of new peers and friends.
Day 2 - The start of something beautiful
Day 2 focused on diverse career pathways and wellbeing, offering fascinating talks, practical workshops, and mentoring that fostered support, friendship, and lasting connections.
Saffron – Day 2
On Sunday 22nd February, I attended my first Youth in Nature Summit. As a new BTO Youth Representative and a volunteer on the day, I was very nervous, but eager to see how the day developed. As soon as I walked into the David Attenborough Building, the anticipation from everyone was felt. It was so exciting from my perspective to finally meet the BTO Youth Team in person and all the volunteers I had only met through a screen. And then work began – from setting up cameras to stalls, everyone was rushing around like swallows over a pond, to prepare for our first attendees to arrive.
The first talk of the day, by Elle Kaye, captured the room and truly brought everyone into the day with topics of conservation through unconventional routes, all while sharing art that captures the beauty of our local wildlife. The Youth in Nature Summit was also my first chance to meet all of the Welsh Youth Representatives. But, even over 200 miles from Bangor, I was still able to relate to everyone in some way. Discussions of rare birds, island observatories and even nudibranchs!
The next session I attended was on Imposter Syndrome mental wellbeing. While we all enjoy nature and conservation, it’s important to consider how striving for a career in this sector can be daunting and even put a strain on your passions. It is highly competitive and even the best of us can feel out of place.
But the important thing I learnt in this conference is that it is welcoming and it is possible. It doesn’t matter what your background is, or which route you take, we can all find our place in conservation.
Anna – Day 2
Having been allowed a whole extra 45 minutes in bed, we were ready for Youth Summit 2026, day 2!
The overarching theme for day 2 was Careers. We wanted to showcase the variety of skills and experiences that are needed within the environmental sector and highlight the fact that you don’t need to be academic or have a science background to make a difference.
The day was book-ended by our two incredible plenary speakers – Elle Kay and Brandon Hamilton, with Elle sharing her insights about being an artist in a science dominated world, and Brandon sharing his passion for youth engagement and how he fell into an environmental career. The rest of the day was made up of workshops covering topics from nature influencers and conservation entrepreneurship to volunteering and mental health and imposter syndrome. We also had a number of mentoring sessions and worked with our partner, Green Jobs for Nature, to host a careers fair, showcasing the huge variety of jobs the environmental sector has to offer.
There was a real atmosphere of friendship in the building as people from all walks of life shared experiences and offered advice. It was amazing to see everyone gaining something from one another, with those well-established within the conservation sector learning from those newer to the space, as well as vice versa.
I had the privilege of helping to open and wrap-up the day, and being able to see the people this event had brought together, all from different backgrounds, but all with a shared passion for nature, was a very special thing to see.
Our hard work and organisation had paid off and I hope the connections people made throughout the weekend will last for many years to come.