Laura Ross, communications officer, Rye Harbour Discovery Centre sent this report.
Careers day at the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve was a great success. Around twenty young people joined us on Saturday for our conservation careers panel event. We put the event together, as we are aware that for lots of young people, it can be hard to know quite how to get into a career in conservation and where to start. To get participants inspired, the morning started with a guided walk led by Mya Bambrick, our communities intern, who spent time pointing out the interesting species of wildlife – highlights included seeing a flock of golden plover.
The panel was made up of our site manager, Paul Tinsley-Marshall, communities and wildlife leader for Sussex Wildlife Trust, Ryan Greaves and Lucy Bowyer our senior communities and wildlife officer. The event was also chaired by Mya – the perfect candidate at only twenty years old. She has a real passion for wanting to make wildlife and nature accessible to young people.
The panel provided lots of advice and tips on a variety of jobs within the sector. Questions from the audience included:
What GCSEs and qualifications are required for a job in conservation?
Are practical skills just as valuable as a degree?
How do young people get experience in conservation prior to a full time job?
Mya said: “Hearing the enthusiasm and passion for the attendees who want to make conservation their career and want to get involved already, was incredibly inspiring. It was also inspiring to hear the breadth of experience and knowledge of our panellists and hear their honesty about the barriers they faced. A big thank you to them for being on the panel and giving up their Saturday afternoon!”
This event was part of Sussex Youth in Nature, an events programme for young people from Sussex Wildlife Trust. These are free and accessible events and workshops for 16–25-year-olds based at various locations across Sussex. They offer the opportunity to learn more about nature through craft, conservation, and species identification.
Image Credits: Rye Harbour Nature Reserve .