Over four packed days in May and August this year, two cohorts of enthusiastic young people took part in ‘Growing Futures’ workshops at two iconic Sussex landscapes. Spending one day at Kew Wakehurst near Haywards Heath, and Knepp Wilding near Horsham, a total of 50 16-25-year-olds experienced a hands-on introduction to nature restoration and ecology, showcasing the wide range of local careers in the environmental sector. 

This is the start of 100 Mile Classroom’s work experience offer, which will use the Weald to Waves nature recovery corridor to help more young people access a range of green and land-based careers.  

Starting at Wakehurst, the group in May got stuck into horticulture, lending green fingers to the Water Gardens team, helping to clear weeds and learn about practical garden management across the 535-acre site, and contributed to real scientific research by counting pollinators on the Trees for Bees citizen science trail. The August cohort spent time in the Nursery, getting a tour from Nursery Manager Fay, who explained the work the Nursery does to grow rare plants from all over the world to support the work of the Millennium Seed Bank. The groups also carried out biodiversity surveys in Wakehurst’s woodland, with all data going straight to scientists as part of the Nature Unlocked research programme. Throughout the workshops, staff at Wakehurst shared their career journeys and advice for stepping into roles in horticulture, research, seed science, and marketing and communications.

Eliana Van der Schraft, Participation Coordinator at Wakehurst commented: 

“It was a privilege to see so many young people inspired and empowered to take action for nature. As a brand-new addition to our busy youth programme, I was excited to see how Growing Futures would be shaped by its participants, helping us better understand how we can make green careers more accessible and inclusive. We’re incredibly grateful to all the young people who joined us, sharing their experiences, ideas and passion for the natural world. We look forward to building on this success next year and inspiring even more curious minds.” 

At Knepp, they explored rewilding in action with the Knepp Young Guides, hearing from fellow young people who have turned a passion for nature into a career. Whilst exploring the 3500-acre Knepp estate, the group learnt about the Weald to Waves project, a 100-mile+ nature corridor connecting landscapes across Sussex, including Wakehurst, to boost biodiversity and enrich the rural economy. The participants also found out about roles in Knepp’s rewilded walled garden, market garden, and tourism operations, and closed the day with a real-life creative film and storyboard challenge to get more young people engaged in nature restoration.

Holly Tuppen, 100 Mile Classroom Lead at Knepp Wildland Foundation shared: 

“With over 1 million young people not in education, employment or training, the need for more equitable work experience opportunities and career pathway information is more critical than ever. Over the course of two days, these young people accessed information about over 15 green careers ranging from horticulture to data scientists. We have loved working with Kew Wakehurst and can’t wait to grow 100 Mile Classroom’s work experience offer by bringing in more partners across the Weald to Waves corridor.” 

The Growing Futures programme is part of the 100-Mile Classroom, which uses the Weald to Waves corridor to address the disconnect between young people connecting with green jobs and the urgent need for the next generation of passionate environmentalists.  

Growing Futures participants shared their feedback: 

‘I was inspired by how passionate and excited people are about their jobs and learnt about all the different journeys they have taken into their careers.’ 

‘I was inspired by the wide range of opportunities and facilities.’ 

‘The woodland and biodiversity surveying was very interesting as it showed the impact of climate change and which plant species might or might not survive in the future.’ 

For more work experience opportunities and more, get involved with 100 Mile Classroom here: https://www.wealdtowaves.co.uk/join-100-mile-classroom/