Under 18s

Beds, Cambs, and Northants (BCN) Wildlife Trust offers free monthly Saturday and School holiday sessions for 12-17 year olds. Luton and Bedfordshire Youth Rangers sessions take place on reserves around the county including Flitwick Moor, Cooper’s Hill, Totternhoe and Blow’s Downs. Booking is required, and a parental consent form needs to be completed before the first session.

BBOWT at College Lake, near Tring, (as well as other sites further afield) offers parent and child sessions up to age 7, and then low cost bookable drop off sessions for ages 8-11 years and 11-17.  Sessions are on pause currently – keep an eye on their website for future sessions.

The Box Moor Trust in Hemel Hempstead offers a monthly drop off Youth Ranger session aimed at 8-16 year olds who are passionate about nature and keen to learn more about the natural world. Participants try a different activity each month, giving them an insight into the varied work of a ranger. Activities are tailored to the season and the Trust’s current conservation priorities and include surveying and conservation work. These sessions are charged on a suggested donation basis.

Amersham Museum has an informal and friendly Young Curators group for 14-18 year olds, which works alongside the staff team on a range of activities and projects such as designing exhibitions and developing learning resources.

Rebel Rangers is a free school holiday programme for young people aged 11-16 (or up to 18 for those with special education needs). Designed for those who enjoy being outdoors, it offers the opportunity to support the Chiltern Rangers team with practical conservation work while learning about the wildlife and habitats of the Chilterns. Transport is provided to sites from the Chiltern Rangers depot in High Wycombe.

New Shoots is a free, hands-on wildlife and conservation programme for 14–18 year olds in the River Thame catchment. Through monthly sessions over the course of a year, participants can explore nature, learn from local conservation experts, and take part in practical habitat management work along rivers, streams, meadows and wetlands. Support with travel is provided.

Whipsnade Zoo offers a paid 4-day academy for 15-17 year olds which covers a variety of topics including conservation.

If you are interested in the environment or conservation, the National Trust has lots of opportunities. You could go on a Youth Discovery holiday (if you are aged 16 to 18), do voluntary work at a National Trust property or become a Young Heritage Leader.

There are many privately run forest schools and holiday clubs for children and young people, typically up to the age of 13, and in some cases 16. While these may be less structured in terms of skills development and formal learning outcomes, they can provide valuable opportunities to spend time outdoors and connect with nature.

Examples include Path Hill Adventures, Wild Kites, Black Park Forest School and Lindengate Charity among others.

The Field Studies Council offers a range of courses and residentials for 16-18 year olds – with a centre in Amersham, and many others around the country.

An organised programme for young people aged 14-24,  providing the opportunity to volunteer and gain valuable work experience in a variety of areas including the outdoors, and combatting climate change. The Duke of Edinburgh (D of E) charity licenses thousands of organisations that work with young people, including schools, colleges and youth groups, to run the D of E across the UK.

The John Muir Award is open to children from upper primary school to adults, either through an organisation or on a self-guided basis. It aims to inspire people to enjoy, connect with and care for wild places. The award operates largely through established organisations, but self-guided participants can design their own award based around the places and activities that interest them – such as trips to wild places, outdoor hobbies or volunteering in conservation.

Chiltern Rangers offers one week work experience placements for those in Year 10-13 in mainstream or home education, offering around 30 placements a year.

They have a huge amount of information on their website which aims to prepare young people (and schools) for their work experience, including ‘a day in the life’ videos (available in English, Polish and Makaton, with Urdu coming soon).

Wycombe Museum has recently redeveloped its summer work experience programme for young people aged 14 and over, offering insights into collections, education, visitor experience and more.

Amersham Museum accepts ad-hoc work experience requests for young people aged 14 and over, covering areas like collections care, education, front-of-house, research, and event support in a historic setting.

Other local museums such as Discover Bucks, Road Dahl Story Centre and Chiltern Open Air Museum may also have opportunities.

Local councils may offer work experience placements, and/or have a directory of opportunities.

Read about how a year 10 student got a glimpse into the Heritage, Archaeology and Natural Environment team’s work at Buckinghamshire Council recently.

Visit the Bucks Skills Hub

BBOWT and BCN wildlife trust sometimes have volunteering roles for young people– such as this one for a role in their visitor centre.

Chiltern Rangers offers volunteering for young people – accompanied by an adult if the child is in Year 9 or below, and with an adult signing the young person in and out for those in Years 10-13. Spend time in the great outdoors and get that feel good factor from a day of fresh air, exercise and giving back to the environment. Often transport can be provided from the Chiltern Rangers depot in High Wycombe.

There is a wealth of information on the website which prepares people for volunteering with them, including useful ‘a day in the life’ videos.

Wycombe Museum accepts young volunteers aged 16+ for a range of roles, as well as a ‘youth ambassador’ team.

Lindengate Green Volunteens is open to anyone aged between 13-18 on Saturday mornings – offering nature based conservation, bushcraft, heritage skills and garden maintenance.

Community Impact Bucks’ Volunteer Bucks portal has advice for volunteers aged 13-17.

The Earth Trust in Oxfordshire has young volunteer roles especially for those aged 13–18 years, to enable young people to get out in their green spaces and learn more about the local environment.

Previous experience is not required to take on the young volunteer roles, as full training and ongoing support is provided. Commitment to a regular slot is requested, whether that’s weekly or monthly. If you’re interested in an outdoor role, appropriate clothing for all weathers is a necessity. Support is available for this if required. Under 18s will need parental permission.

Volunteer as a Citizen Scientist: As a BTO Citizen Scientist, you will go out and collect data about the birds and wildlife in your surroundings and upload it to the national database. (11+)

RSBP run local youth groups offering young people the chance to explore local wildlife, carry out practical action to save nature and have fun outdoors together with like-minded friends. You can also visit their reserves for free by showing photo ID.

Canal and River Trust – be a Young Volunteer. Whether you’re interested in developing your skills and employability, driving social action, or improving your health and wellbeing, Canal and River Trust have something for everyone.

Many towns have local groups and conservation initiatives, such as Sustainable Amersham and Transition Towns, which regularly organise litter picks and other community sessions to get involved with. Keep an eye out in your local area.

The Conservation Volunteers supports people to take practical action to improve both urban and rural environments. It offers a wide range of opportunities in and around the Chilterns, including community conservation projects, arts initiatives, Green Gym activities, project delivery, training and skills development, and even conservation holidays. In general, under 16s need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and 16/17 year olds need consent of their parent or guardian.

Luton Youth Network encourages and supports young people aged 11-25 to organise and lead activity , including the annual Luton Youth Climate Action Summit.

BCN Wildlife Trust’s Young People’s Forum is made up of young people aged 13-24 aiming to help the Trust work better for young people and inspire action for wildlife.

In early 2026 Wycombe Museum launched a youth ambassadors programme, seeking 5 youth ambassadors – contact them for more information.

The annual Youth in Nature Summit in Cambridge is a fantastic day designed for young people by young people.

National organisations often have more resource to run youth programmes – there are many to choose from and search for but some great examples include:

• Heritage Trust Network
• BTO YAP
• RSPB Youth Council
• Wilderness Foundation
• ZSL Youth Advisory Board
• Habitats and Heritage
• Groundwork
• English Heritage
• Campaign for National Parks
• Action for Conservation – developing young leaders, ambassadors and youth rangers

Apprenticeships combine paid employment with training and study, allowing people aged 16 and over to earn a wage while developing job-specific skills and qualifications. They are delivered through a partnership between an employer, the apprentice and a training provider, college or university.

Apprenticeships are available in a wide range of conservation and heritage-related occupations, including Countryside Worker, Countryside Ranger, Ecologist, Cultural Heritage Conservator and Environmental Practitioner, although opportunities may be limited within the Chilterns. Depending on the level and occupation, apprenticeships can take between eight months and six years to complete.

Traineeships are defined as a programme of learning and skills development, which are focused and flexible. They have a direct line to employment (although a job at the end is by no means guaranteed) and aim to provide young people with a positive experience in the sector they are interested in.  The training provider can tailor the programme to meet the needs of the individual, helping them to progress and enhance their skills. The provider of the traineeship is responsible for the overall delivery and quality of the traineeship. We do not know of any traineeships for under 16s in the Chilterns at this point.

Take a look in the 18+ and Early Career section for some further information on getting into a career in conservation, such as specialist jobs sites, traineeships and careers fairs.

Project Rejuvenate ran a successful pilot, and fundraising is ongoing to run it again. It uses creative activities in historic locations to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of young people.

In 2023 ‘New to Nature’, a green jobs programme, offered sixty paid roles nationally to encourage 18-25 year olds, and especially those from under-represented backgrounds, into paid work in the environment sector.

In 2024-25 several organisations in the Chilterns tested a variety of new approaches to youth engagement and youth voice,  through the Next Gen Project.

Revoluton Arts is a Luton based arts producer working with the local community. They have a Young Revolutonaries programme and all roles receive some renumeration, they don’t have unpaid volunteers. Their approach is to reduce barriers to participation.

The Shropshire Hills National Landscape has been developing a Green Leaders programme for 17-21 year olds, in partnership with the local college and with South Shropshire Youth Forum.

Unfortunately this scheme is no longer running but is a great example of volunteering for young people.