Online gamers see 8000 trees planted
A Wishaw-based youth group helped organise an online gaming tournament that will see more than 8000 trees planted.
The Brave Jnr is a youth eSports group that uses gaming as a way to help young people feel empowered and build brighter futures.
Recently the group was asked by Edinburgh Napier University to help come up with a gaming event that could run during COP26.
This led to the #GetOnWithIt Cup being born, which was a tournament played on the popular game Fortnite, but with a twist.
Players were asked to chop down as many trees as they could during their matches on Fortnite with the promise that the university would plant the equivalent number of trees in real life.
The event was showcased at S t r a t h c l y d e S t u d e n t U n i o n ’s After The Pandemic Youth Hub in Glasgow, as well as being broadcast live online.
More than 200 pupils from across North Lanarkshire schools took part and contributed to the 8000 trees that will be planted.
Emma Williamson, from Wishaw, started The Brave Jnr in 2019 after seeing how much her own daughter enjoyed gaming and seeing the benefits of eSports firsthand.
Emma told the Wishaw Press: “The tournament was a real success and everything went so well with it all.
“We had over 200 school pupils from across North Lanarkshire take part in the cup, which was eventually won by 5th-year pupil Mark Henderson from St Aidan’s High. Now, thanks to the help from the players, more than 8000 trees will be planted by Edinburgh Napier University.”
Emma is helped at Brave by a number of volunteers, the majority of whom are still in high school.
During the pandemic, Brave Jnr had to adapt to moving online and offered things such as eSports boot camps and charity tournaments.
The group has received some lottery funding and is hoping to be able to find a base in Wishaw.
Emma said: “We would use places such as community centres before the pandemic but there were usually issues with the WiFi.
“We want to have a hub in Wishaw where we can run courses and groups based on eSports while teaching young people life lessons.
“We teach them things such as how to compose themselves and how to deal with things that don’t go their way.
“They are learning important things through gaming and eSports.”
You can find more information about The Brave Jnr on their Twitter, @TheBraveJNR.