Species on the Edge is delighted to run a Youth Panel programme, helping young people learn new skills, meet like-minded people, and learn more about the conservation sector. Each of our Youth Panel members is supported in running a project in their local community with the aim of raising awareness of local vulnerable species, helping people connect with the nature on their doorstep, and inspiring community action.
Christine, a Species on the Edge Youth Panellist based in Shetland, has been developing her project – Species on the Edge-themed art workshops – and, in May of this year, it was time to deliver them! Working with experienced art teacher, Meleri Mair, Christine hosted two workshops: one for 6-12 year olds, and the other for ages 15+.
The workshops
“Everyone learnt something new, both in creating art and deepening their knowledge of our local species”
Christine had 14 children attend her 6-12 class. Their task was to create a mixed media art piece of one of our Shetland ‘species on the edge’. The kids all picked one of the species to focus on: twite, red-necked phalarope, curlew, lapwing, Shetland bumblebee, and the plantain leaf beetle (AKA peerie red scarred wan). Meleri first showed them all how to paint a beautiful landscape background for their chosen species. While their paintings dried, Christine gave a presentation on Species on the Edge and specifically what we’re doing here in Shetland to help these species. There were species some kids had never heard of before, like twite and the beetle! Then, the species were created out of a paper collage that they glued together. Finally, the species was glued in place onto their landscapes. The kids brought a lot of enthusiasm and liveliness into the class. They were very pleased with their wonderful species that they got to take home.
Later that day, it was time for the 15+ workshop, which was a very similar setup – minus the chaos of hyper children! Everyone learnt something new, both in creating art and deepening their knowledge of our local species.
Christine also commissioned Meleri to create a big canvas painting that will be placed up at a public place (location TBD!) for everyone to remember the Species on the Edge programme and to raise further awareness of these species. The painting is amazing with its bright, vivid colours and prints of these will be available soon!
Thanks to Meleri for making these workshops possible and to everyone who came along.
Reflections
“In the end it all worked itself out and felt like such a win”
Reflecting on the projects is an important part of the Youth Panellists’ learning journey. When asked about any particular challenges or take-aways, Christine told us this:
“Honestly, it was a little harder than I thought to organise and plan and collaborate with others! There were artists I reached out to that never responded to me and left me feeling despondent about the project. However, I got a reply from Meleri so I’m glad I persevered. After I explained the Species on the Edge programme, she was very excited to collaborate. We were quick to get a date set at our first meeting together.
As time went by, the painting became bigger than originally planned and required more time to complete so we pushed back the workshop date to May. This meant that I had to try to swap shifts at my work to fit with the venue availability.
Getting the numbers up for the 15+ class was challenging. I had to think hard about the advertising. I asked a local youth group to share the poster, and they told me they only had two people at their last event. The timing of the workshop being in May with exams could have affected this.
In the end it all worked itself out and felt like such a win, as the people that did attend were engaged and inquisitive. Some asked questions about specific species, and some expressed their wish for another programme like Species on the Edge in the future.”
A big thank you to Christine for sharing her reflections on her project with us, and of course a huge well done for running two very successful workshops!
