Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to benefit from outdoor learning through WWT’s ‘Inspiring Generations’ scheme
School children from disadvantaged areas will experience nature close up through a £1m free school visits scheme provided by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in partnership with HSBC.
Research shows learning outdoors helps to improve children’s personal, social and emotional development. Yet pupils miss these opportunities because the cost and lack of specific training for teachers.
HSBC’s support will enable WWT to provide free lessons outside the classroom.
60,000 pupils will learn curriculum subjects through hands on activities including pond dipping and feeding different types of birds, while benefitting from experience of the natural world.
The scheme will also train 300 teachers, and a further 12,000 will gain direct experience in taking learning outdoors.
Martin Spray, WWT Chief Executive said:
“WWT lead the field in outdoor learning. More than 2.2 million children have been on a school trip to a WWT Wetland Centre since the 1940s.
“Research shows that children benefit physically and emotionally by being close to nature. And nature benefits from children being inspired to care for their environment.
“We believe that learning outside is a right for every school child, not a luxury. HSBC supports this belief too and together we will help make it a reality.”
Antonio Simoes, Head of UK Bank at HSBC said:
“We have partnered with WWT for over a decade. The Inspiring Generations scheme is a fantastic example of how to connect young, disadvantaged people with nature. Through hands-on outdoors education, we will be helping 60,000 young people learn more about the wetlands and the freshwater challenges we face both locally and globally. I am proud that HSBC is supporting this scheme through our community investment programme.”
WWT’s 'Inspiring Generations' free school visits scheme is available at eight of its nine Wetland Centres across the UK at Arundel Wetland Centre (West Sussex), Caerlaverock Wetland Centre (Dumfries & Galloway), Castle Espie Wetland Centre (Northern Ireland), London Wetland Centre, Llanelli Wetland Centre (Carmarthenshire), Martin Mere Wetland Centre (Lancashire), Slimbridge Wetland Centre (Gloucestershire) and Washington Wetland Centre (Tyne & Wear).
To find out more about WWT’s “Inspiring Generations” free school visits scheme, visit www.wwt.org.uk/learn
References
“When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributes significantly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and emotional development.” Ofsted (2008) Learning Outside the Classroom: how far should you go? Manchester: Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/learning-outside-classroom
“The more young people engage with the natural environment, the more they appreciate and care for it.” Coskie, T., Hornof, M and Trudel, H. (2007) A natural integration http://web.nmsu.edu/~susanbro/educ451/docs/A_natural_integration.pdf
HSBC Global Community Investment Programme: HSBC has responsibilities not only towards our customers, employees and shareholders but also to the countries and communities in which we operate. In 2012, we donated USD120million through our global community investment programme which focuses primarily on education and the environment. 50 percent of our overall donation is spent on education, 25 percent on environment and 25 percent on other community activities. Find out more at: www.hsbc.com/sustainability
