We are extremely dedicated to ensuring young people are aware of their environment and how to look after it. We run numerous projects with groups of young people to give them basic skills in gardening, recycling and how to save energy.
We have taken young people to Bulcliffe Woods to teach them forest skills. This involved groups of young people going off into the woods and learning how to make shelters out of bare essentials, discovering what natural resources can be found on rough land and fun activities, like how to make a photo frame out of just sticks and string.
"As a part of the BTCV Green Gym project, it is great to be involved with the young people from Fundamental. The Community Allotment is a wonderful place for them to get involved with other people from their local community, do their bit to help the environment and learn new skills. Fundamental, along with other charities, has realised how important it is to involve young people in projects, with benefits for everybody involved. It is a fantastic learning opportunity, leading to adults who are much more aware of the environment, wildlife and how to grow healthy food."There are many environmental projects that we want to work on in the future. At Fundamental we believe it is important to lead by example and think about the environment in the office. Not only do we recycle bottles, cans and plastic, we also shred all our used paper and send it to a pig farm for bedding. We are looking into the possibilities of renewable energy sources such as solar panels and we try to be energy efficient by thinking about the small things like turning off lights and shutting doors in the winter to keep the heat in.
Food4Thought
Food4thought is an exciting and innovative way of learning about the environment and healthy eating at the same time. We are looking for funding at the moment to start a large 3 year project based around growing, preparing and eating fruit and vegetables. This would include selling produce, herbs and bedding plants using organic techniques combined with an awareness raising programme working with many local schools, community groups and local businesses.
We have made an initial start to this project and have been successful in securing £5k from Groundwork/the Coalfields Regeneration trust to buy some basic horticultural equipment and £2100 from The George A Moore foundation, The Constance Green Foundation and The Calmcott Trust towards running and salary costs. We have been working closely with BTCV in Hemsworth and have been given use of the Hemsworth Community Allotment.
"The partnership that the Eastern Wakefield Primary Care Trust and Fundamental have been working towards enables us to exchange knowledge, skills and expertise, building a joined up way of working with young people. Without this sort of partnership approach, bringing services and needs together, we wouldn't be able to make a difference in areas of deprivation."