Educating Young People
Earthwatch seeks to engage and educate young people in environmental stewardship and offer them the opportunity to become involved with conservation volunteering.
Via fully funded places and tailored teams, students and young people participating in Earthwatch research projects assist in the collection of valuable data and are encouraged to raise awareness amongst their families, community and peers when they return. By inspiring the citizens and leaders of tomorrow to actively connect with their environment, Earthwatch aims to help create a more sustainable society in the future.
Opportunities for:
Students
Earthwatch Expeditions provide a fantastic opportunity to many young people and students, including both those with a passion for conservation and those for whom such an experience would be something quite new.
From time to time the Earthwatch Student Awards Programme offers any student in full-time education the opportunity to gain a part-funded place in the field on a scientific research expedition. Award recipients will work alongside inspiring professional scientists, learn new skills and have the chance to engage with like-minded, committed peers and mentors.
Student Climate Challenge!
If you're a teenager, aged 14 to 19, with a bright idea about how to combat climate change, why not enter an exciting National Geographic/Vattenfall competition?
The overall winner(s) and their teacher will win a place on an Earthwatch family team on our Puerto Rico's Rainforest expedition. National Geographic, in association with the energy company Vattenfall, wants you to come up with a great idea for a project which could help to improve and protect the environment, and which helps sustainable development. Your idea could involve scientific, cultural and social, political or business measures. You just need to imagine there is a fund which supports environmental and sustainable development projects and build your idea around that. In no more than 1,500 words, the challenge is to persuade the competition organisers why the fund should support your particular project.
If you are the overall competition winner, on Puerto Rico's Rainforest you could be helping leading scientists to test a new way to harvest rainforest trees without harming the ecosystem in Las Casas de la Selva, a tropical rainforest enrichment project on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. At the end of each day, you'll come home to a comfortable tent, a good meal and a magical evening listening to the coqui frog - the national symbol of Puerto Rico.
Don't miss the chance to compete for this fantastic prize. The closing date for entries is 15th May 2008. Visit http://www.ngceurope.com/combatclimatechange/uk/competition_about.aspx for full details about the National Geographic/Vattenfall Combat Climate Change competition.
Disadvantaged youth
Earthwatch works with disadvantaged young people who would not normally have the chance to participate in experiential learning opportunities like those offered on Earthwatch projects. The programme offers participants the opportunity to gain confidence and develop life skills via participation on specially tailored field research projects and a work experience placement at Earthwatch's office in Oxford. This experience benefits participants by inspiring in them a lifelong interest in environmental conservation; building links with their local community and helping them access better employment opportunities.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Queens Guide Award
Young people undertaking their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award often wish to use their Earthwatch expedition for the residential project section of the award. Earthwatch projects are an excellent option as they average in length from 1-2 weeks, provide participants with new and interesting experiences and conservation/environmental work is one of most suitable activities for the residential section.
If you are undertaking your Queen's Guide Award, an Earthwatch expedition can count towards the residential section of your award too.
Call or email our Expedition Recruitment Team to discuss which expedition would suit your needs (and remember to mention that you are thinking about using the experience for your residential).