Blue Influencers Scheme
Young people are taking action to improve Greater London's wetlands, waterways and rivers!
New scheme at WWT London Wetland Centre
WWT’s Blue Influencers Scheme based at London Wetland Centre empowers young people from Greater London to tackle environmental and climate issues.
With the help of a Blue Mentor, these Blue Influencers will create and run social action schemes to improve the environment of their schools, neighbourhoods and communities.
This ground-breaking scheme is aimed at 10-14 year olds from under-served communities and those living in deprived coastal, estuary and riverside locations.
The Blue Influencers Scheme is funded by The Ernest Cook Trust and the #iwill Fund.
Once a group of Blue Influencers is formed, the group receives £360. They can then be supported to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to develop their project.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking to work with groups of 2-10 young people, the main criteria is that you are passionate about nature and live in London.
Get in touch if you:
- Are aged 10-14* years (or if you run a group with these ages)
- Live, study or work in Greater London
- Care about nature and protecting it
- Want to have fun with young people your age
*Our target age is 10-14 but we can work with up to 20 year olds, just get in touch!
We want to work with a diverse range of Blue Influencers from across the local community. We are looking to make connections with schools, youth groups or other groups specifically targeting disadvantaged areas in London, including:
- Neighbourhoods high on the Multiple Deprivation Indices
- Schools with high levels of Free School Meals/Pupil Premium
- Pupils at risk of exclusion
- Young people from the LGBTQ+ community
- Minoritised ethnic groups
- Young carers
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- Children with adverse childhood experiences
- Looked After Children
- Young people with SEND
Even if you’re not sure you meet the criteria still get in touch to find out!
"I find it so valuable that a project such as this which is set up for young people, has a board of young people at the very centre of it helping to make decisions."
Esther
Youth Advisory Board member, The Ernest Cook Trust
Meet our Blue Mentor, Adetola
The role of the Blue Mentor is to engage with young people and inspire them to make a difference in their community. There is a particular need to engage and empower young people from under-served communities to encourage diversity in the environmental sector and increase their engagement with key environmental issues.
Adetola is an experienced youth facilitator with a passion for connecting young people with the nature on their doorstep, particularly those from under-served communities. She has been working as a community activist in South London to break down the barriers to accessing green space. She is excited about empowering young people to use their voice to campaign about the issues that matter to them!
Contact Us
For information about the Blue Influencers Scheme in London email our Blue Mentor, Adetola: blueinfluencers@wwt.org.uk
"The youth voice is one of the most powerful forces on the planet."
Amy Meek
Co-founder of Kids Against Plastic
What is the mission of the Blue Influencers Scheme?
The Blue Influencers Scheme aims to make environmental social action a regular, habitual part of young people’s lives.
The Scheme aims to remove barriers to accessing the outdoors, while helping young people create deep, lasting and meaningful connections to the natural environment via their local coasts, rivers and other ‘blue spaces’.
They will learn and build skills which will help contribute to the local community and develop a sense of pride by taking care of the natural world that surrounds them. They will also have the opportunity to learn about environmental careers.
The Blue Influencers will use their voice to make a change in their community and for the planet. They will forge a connection to the natural world together with a sense of responsibility to protect and sustain it through a lifetime of continued action.
"Young people are often the most passionate about the environment and are very aware of the issues we face with climate change. The Blue Influencers Scheme gives them the funding, platform and tools they need to make positive changes to benefit their entire community."
Ed Ikin
Chief Executive of The Ernest Cook Trust
How is this made possible?
- The Blue Influencers scheme is made possible thanks to £66million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. The Ernest Cook Trust is acting as a match-funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund.
- The Ernest Cook Trust
For more information about The Ernest Cook Trust’s Blue Influencers Scheme visit Influencers Schemes – The Ernest Cook Trust.
- #iwill
The #iwill movement was set up to promote youth social action and was designed to make participation in social action the norm for young people under 20. The #iwill movement communicates with, connects and challenges organisations across the UK to embed support for youth social action into their culture and practice.
Learn more at #iwill Fund | The National Lottery Community Fund.
- Moto Foundation
The Moto Foundation’s generous donation has match-funded the Ernest Cook funding to create the Blue Influencer position at WWT.
Learn more about our match-funder, Moto, and their relationship with WWT.
FAQs
Contact Us
For information about the Blue Influencers Scheme in London email our Blue Mentor, Adetola: blueinfluencers@wwt.org.uk