'Green Routes' scheme launched to help teens explore Yorkshire Dales

Teenagers from different backgrounds have been offered the chance to explore some of Yorkshire's most striking countryside together.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said it had joined with other organisations to create "Green Routes".

The aim was to offer experiences to encourage teamwork, improve health and help "social mixing", they said.

Organisers said they were keen to involve groups from underrepresented and underserved communities.

They said they hoped to involve hundreds of 16 and 17-year-olds, including those who might otherwise face barriers to accessing nature and green spaces, in "practical and inspiring experiences".

Lizzie Bushby, from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: "We want to make sure everyone, regardless of ability, background or lived experience, has the opportunity to come and explore our special landscapes."

Fiona Busfield, from Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, said it was hoped the young people they worked with would "develop life skills, confidence and resilience that can be taken forward into their future lives".

The organisations involved said examples of the kind of experiences on offer included woodworking, walking, bushcraft and campfire cooking, lambing, tree planting, species identification, dry stone wall-building, path laying and natural crafts.

Youth groups and leaders had been invited to apply to participate in the scheme and there was a rolling application process until October 2024, organisers said.

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