Our Mission
Embark on a journey of learning and exploration and take a dive into environmental issues and conservation careers.
The Programme
Access2Nature offers a transformative experience for care-experienced young individuals through a three-day immersive programme focusing on environmental education. We aim to raise awareness about climate change, habitat loss, and pollution and uncover potential career paths in conservation.
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We hope to empower our participants to appreciate nature through experiences, understand nature through science, and work with nature, through skills
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When, where, what?
15 miles away from the busy city of Belfast lies a hidden world. Here, nature is in charge. Lighthouse Island is home to >3,000 pairs of Manx shearwater (a small seabird), wildflowers, otters and much more besides.
Over three days, we aim to introduce participants to three key issues: climate change, habitat loss and pollution and, through hands-on activities, explore how these are impacting nature and what we can do about it.
Schedule
Day 1: Belfast
Introductions and urban biodiversity
In a classroom, we will introduce the team to the participants and learn about the biodiversity that is on our doorstep
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We will give out the Access2Nature participation packs
Day 2: Copeland Bird Observatory
Climate change and biodiversity on a seabird island
We will transport the team by boat to another world where birds thrive away from people
Day 3: Belfast
Our planet's future: raising awareness of climate, pollution and habitat loss
We will put what we have thought about in days 1 and 2 into practice and get creative to raise awareness
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Careers in nature
Our
Story
We are a Royal Society funded outreach project, run in collaboration with NIACRO, the University of Liverpool's Earths, Oceans and Ecological Sciences Department and Copeland Bird Observatory
Threats to nature: participant posters 2025
After our programme, participant posters will be displayed in this gallery. In 2025 we are exploring the theme raising awareness of the conservation crisis nature is facing
