Young people are the future of rewilding. The aim of the European Young Rewilders – which officially launches today – is to engage and empower young nature lovers in the creation of a wilder Europe.
An essential demographic
Bringing innovation, intelligence, drive and a fresh perspective, young people are vital to the growth of rewilding. The younger generation have enormous potential to influence policy, business and science, which means harnessing their skills, energy and desire for change today is essential if we are to deliver a greener, wilder, sustainable world tomorrow.
Rewilding Europe is therefore delighted to announce the official launch of the European Young Rewilders. Founded in 2020 (in soft launch mode until now), its main aim is to engage and empower passionate young nature lovers in the creation of a wilder Europe, mainly by providing them with an online platform for exchange.
“The European Young Rewilders is a network of young rewilding enthusiasts who want to connect, share and learn from each other about rewilding,” explains Alexandrina Mitseva, a member of Rewilding Europe’s Supervisory Board who co-founded the European Young Rewilders in 2020. “Our aim is to have young rewilding ambassadors across Europe, promoting and supporting rewilding actions – today’s official launch is a big step forward in this regard.”
“We want to create a wilder Europe by uniting young professionals and enthusiasts. Through the creation of a network we will provide members with the tools they need to become active players in the rewilding movement.”
Open to all
As of today, more than 600 young rewilders have joined the Young Rewilder Facebook group. The new European Young Rewilders website provides more information about the community (including how to join) and rewilding in general, while a regular newsletter advertises opportunities in rewilding and upcoming webinars.
Kick-off presentation
The European Young Rewilders officially launched with a two-hour long online event, hosted by Aleksandrina, with the core team presenting itself and the mission of the community. Five European young rewilders currently act as core team members, involved in community organisation, communication, building partnerships with other younger generation rewilding initiatives and pushing the rewilding movement forward.
In addition, the event featured inspiring presentations from:
- Rewilding Europe Managing Director Frans Schepers
- Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead Dr. Paul Jepson
- Dominic Buscall, project manager at UK-based rewilding initiative and European Rewilding Network member Wild Ken Hill
The three speakers spoke about their own professional rewilding journeys and the key lessons they had learned along the way.
Becoming a member
Being a member of European Young Rewilders gives young professionals and rewilding enthusiasts the opportunity to connect and share experience with others. “Our aim is to provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to get involved by organising online courses, lectures and events, as well as by sharing career opportunities and advice,” explains Aleksandrina.
Members can also become active as ambassadors, spreading the message about rewilding and contributing to discussions. With the ambassador programme still under development, the group is looking for an ambassadors coordinator who can help and become part of the core team.
There is second open position for a social media wizard to manage the social media account. Both are voluntary positions. Those interested are asked to submit a half-page application letter outlining their skills and motivation for applying to youngrewilderscommunity@gmail.com.
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