We are committed to working with partners, funders, children & young people to develop activities and learning opportunities that engage, inspire and make a real difference to children’s lives.
Taking learning outside into nature is a universally available and cost-effective way to address widening inequalities and deliver a wide range of positive health and wellbeing benefits for children & young people.
We work with a range of partners, including the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom to help teachers embed outdoor learning into their curriculum, Countryside Classroom and Heritage Youth Partnership to develop and share learning resources.
Through curriculum linked activities, the John Muir Trust encourages children to discover, explore, conserve and share wild places - and that can start in their school grounds.
Find out how to get involved on our John Muir Schools' Award webpage.
Childhood is the time to begin building nature connectedness and we need to create ways for children & young people to connect with nature, particularly in areas of deprivation where people tend to experience the greatest health and wellbeing inequalities.
We work with the Nature Connectedness Research Group at Derby University to help us understand the power of nature and the Ernest Cook Trust on their Blue Influencers Scheme.
Read our School Impact Report about this project designed for schools in areas of disadvantage across the West Midlands and funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. We aimed to support teachers to take their learning beyond the classroom, and to increase connection with nature - discover how this can have a significant impact on learning and wellbeing.
We want all children & young people to understand the risks around water and encourage them to make informed and safe decisions. Sharing consistent water safety messages early and building upon this knowledge over the years, as growing independence increases exposure to risk, is essential. We work alongside other national water and safety charities such as RLSS, RNLI and RoSPA, and we’re part of the National Water Safety Forum working to reduce the number of deaths from drowning.
Our canals, river navigations, docks and reservoirs run through some of the most heavily populated communities. Through local partnerships such as Safe + Sound and SkillZONE we proactively raise awareness of water safety and drowning prevention within these local communities.
"It’s a really powerful partnership. We bring different perspectives. It’s so important to work together and give consistent messages so there is no confusion. The same message comes from all of us."
Inspiring the next generation has never been so important - but how can children & young people reach for careers if they do not know if they exist? We work with a range of partners, such as STEM Learning and Education & Employers to increase science literacy and inspire STEM careers.
We are about to start on an exciting new partnership with Inspiring the Future through which we hope to inspire young people, raising awareness and excitement about the breadth of careers within conservation, environment and heritage. Watch this space as our project launches in September 2024!
Our partnership with People’s Postcode Lottery, which began in 2012, has supported us to look after and bring to life 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, because we believe that life is better by water.
They have funded our learning programme allowing us to do such things as distribute our water safety resources directly into the hands of children, develop our social action opportunities and inspire youth groups through a dedicated Explorers Challenge Badge.
Last Edited: 22 July 2024