Future Proof Parks: Valuing the contribution of young volunteers.

The Future Proof Parks programme, delivered by Groundwork, Fields in Trust and the National Youth Agency, was supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to get more young people involved in preserving their local park and green space heritage.

Our parks can be amazing places. Across the country, volunteer friends-of-parks groups work tirelessly to care for and protect local green spaces, improving our towns and cities. As part of the Future Proof Parks programme young people have learned about historic local parks and have been undertaking volunteer activities to help improve and preserve the green spaces that matter to their local communities.

Volunteer efforts are increasingly important, as council parks teams have been reduced and restructured. Community groups add value through their work and provide fun, sociable days for people to get together and work collaboratively.

However, these groups are not always representative of the whole community of park users and could benefit from a wider, more diverse range of volunteers to support their growing workload. There is an urgent need to recruit more young volunteers to care for and maintain UK parks if they are to meet the needs of current and future generations.

Future Proof Parks has worked to grow the next generation of green space volunteers alongside the local communities that enjoy and benefit from the UK’s parks and has supported these young people with training and volunteer opportunities. The programme also provided resources and training for community groups to work safely and effectively with young volunteers. A new series of How-To guides support friendsof-parks groups to recruit more young volunteers beyond the end of the programme.

During the Coronavirus pandemic green spaces were crucial for our collective health and wellbeing and will be a powerful part of our recovery. As COP26 has shown, it is more important than ever to recognise the role of local green spaces in boosting air quality and mitigating the effects of climate change. It is vital that the efforts of local, young volunteers are harnessed to support green spaces for good.