Frequently asked questions

Conservation involves the care, management, and preservation of natural ecosystems or heritage objects to safeguard them for future generations. This could mean countryside and landscapes, wildlife and places that wildlife live, or items in a museum, heritage buildings, and more.

The Chilterns is an area of countryside, as well as towns and villages, in southern England to the north-west of London. It covers 660 square miles across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

It is a ‘National Landscape‘ which means that it is of national importance for its beauty and distinctive character, with a unique interaction of geological, ecological and cultural heritage features.

There is no set age when young people can volunteer – it is down to the organisation or group organising the volunteering. Often, children and young people under 18 can volunteer alongside their parent or carer. In general, volunteering becomes easier at age 18.

There are various routes for young people to get training in conservation – through events, traineeships, apprenticeships, and volunteering. What training is available is very scheme and organisation dependant – see the specific pages in this section.

In some cases, it may not be formally designated as ‘training’, but will give young people an insight into potential careers, and can be recorded as skills on a CV or skills passport. Some volunteer roles and traineeships have mandatory training, for example for health and safety reasons, or to use certain equipment.

Some training offered alongside volunteering or traineeships etc may lead to qualifications, such as first aid, or specialist conservation areas like brush cutting. In other cases, a formal qualifying may not be gained, but young people will benefit hugely from learning skills and can record these on a CV or skills passport.

This is very dependant on the opportunity and organisation. Some sessions are bookable on a monthly basis, whereas some schemes need more of a commitment for example signing up for a session each month for a year. Some volunteer sessions are ad hoc, or some may be more regular i.e. each week or month.

Due to the nature of conservation, some opportunities are seasonal and only happen at certain times of the year. There’s always something to do though.

Organisations have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to allow everyone to volunteer, but this may not always be possible, for funding or practical reasons. If you have additional needs, it’s important to read the volunteering information in detail, and discuss the opportunity with the organisation that is offering it to see how they can support you to volunteer.

Chiltern Rangers have put together two videos which may be of interest  – the first which shows a typical conservation session with Chiltern Rangers and volunteers, for people to see what it’s like before they arrive, and the second of their ‘Green Thursday’ sessions, for which transport is provided – to show where the minibus departs from and what to expect.

In general, you will need to be able to get to the location of any volunteering opportunities / traineeships etc – either on your own or through a parent / carer. Due to the rural setting of much of the Chilterns National Landscape and surrounding areas, unfortunately many locations are not accessible via public transport.

On some occasions, such as Chiltern Rangers’ opportunities, transport may be offered from a central hub, and on other occasions lift sharing with other volunteers may be possible, although safeguarding rules apply for under 18s. Some volunteer opportunities will reimburse expenses, such as travel expenses, in exchange for your time.

In general, organisations will supply any equipment that is needed to the do the role – such as use of a laptop for admin work, loppers for clearing scrub etc. However, especially for activities which take place outdoors, you may need to have sturdy shoes, waterproof clothing etc.

In general, this needs to be provided by the individual, but some organisations offer bursaries or provide footwear or clothing – so it’s always worth asking. Most organisations will provide as much as they can to enable someone to volunteer or get an introduction to conservation.

Volunteering is by definition, unpaid. There are very few opportunities to get paid for conservation training in the Chilterns – see the relevant pages in this section for the ones we know about.

It’s very common for people to be nervous about volunteering or doing something new for the first time. For most roles, there is no need to have any experience or knowledge of the outdoors – there will be plenty of people who will love to share theirs with you, and for you to learn by doing.

To make yourself feel more comfortable, firstly take a look at the website of the organisation you’re keen to volunteer for, to find out as much as you can about what to expect. Some organisations such as Chiltern Rangers have videos showing you a ‘day in the life’. If you would like to know more or have specific concerns or questions, get in touch with the organisation to share your concerns and get any questions answered.

In some cases, perhaps it would help to have a call with someone in advance so that you know them a little bit when you turn up.

The best thing to do is give it a go! Volunteer managers and youth session leaders will be keen to make you feel comfortable and support any needs you have as much as they’re able. If you don’t like it, there is no need for you to continue – but always let the organisation know, in case they have limited spaces which someone else could use.

Have a read of the 18-25 section to find resources and routes for getting into conservation.

Absolutely! All organisations who arrange volunteering have strict policies and procedures in place to protect those who work with them. You will be given a briefing at the start of the session and given any protective clothing you need.

We agree it can all be very bamboozling, and it can feel like everyone knows what they’re talking about except you! We are working on a glossary, we will add it here soon.

There are lots of organisations listed on the main pages – see Under 18s, or 18-25s. Also, here are some further sources of inspiration and resources:

• Action For Conservation – empowering young people to drive positive environmental action
• #iwill movement – aiming to empower and support young people on their journey, making sure Youth Social Action is something everyone can take part in.
• The Outward Bound Trust – apprentice and graduate programmes. They team up with employers to develop the skills and behaviours that help apprentices and graduates to scale new heights.