Join us in supporting Birdgirl’s Black2Nature fundraiser, making nature accessible to all

As part of our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Greenhouse Communications is pledging £5,000 to a crowdfunder to help marginalised young people access nature. The fundraiser is the brainchild of Dr Mya-Rose Craig – who recently published her memoir Birdgirl and won a 2022 Diana Award. Her charity Black2Nature campaigns for equal access to nature for all, but particularly for Visible Minority Ethnic (VME) communities who are currently excluded from the countryside. Its goal is to reach £50,000 by 2 August 2022 to run FREE inclusive, fun and accessible nature camps for marginalised young people, and we'd love you to help support its mission.

At Greenhouse, we believe access to nature is a fundamental right for everyone, and currently inner-city children are missing out. According to a new report from the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust, the poorest urban communities not only have less access to natural space, they are at the most risk of mental health issues and the effects of the climate emergency. But access to nature can have a huge positive impact on mental and physical wellbeing – it's estimated to save the NHS £950m in London alone, and it’s scientifically proven that a dose of two hours nature per week is associated with good health and wellbeing. Which is why it's so important that Black2Nature reaches its goal: click the button below to join us.

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All about Birdgirl, Black2Nature, and the proven benefits of access to nature 

Black2Nature’s founder Mya-Rose has been a passionate environmentalist and climate campaigner since she was eight. Now 20, her memoir Birdgirl (praised by Margaret Atwood as ‘lyrical, poignant and insightful’) was published last month and she was a recipient of a 2022 Diana Award for her inspirational work with Black2Nature. 

Black2Nature’s vision is that early intervention will get visible minority ethnic (VME) children, teens and families out into nature on a regular basis. Not only improving their mental and physical wellbeing, but giving them a hands-on education on the environment, and creating a lifelong love of nature, inspiring the next generation to protect the world we live in.   

Its camps and activities have proven hugely beneficial to VME communities, helping to reduce the number of people needing NHS care for mental health. Camp attendees return home more in touch with nature, more able to explore the outdoors on their own, and less afraid of nature. They report that they’re doing better at school, have more focus on learning and education, have reduced anger and stress, and their behaviours have improved at home because they are calmer.

“Growing up as a British Bangladeshi young girl, there were no people who looked liked Mya-Rose out in nature, with most of the people she saw in the countryside being almost always white, middle-aged and male. The fact that they just did not look like her, had a big impact on her growing up, reinforcing her feeling of not belonging.”

– Black2Nature

 Greenhouse believes in Black2Nature's mission – please join us

Black2Nature is on its way to meeting its £50k goal to continue its vital work, but with your support it could surpass this and help even more VME young people access green spaces. By joining Greenhouse in supporting Black2Nature, you'll be helping the charity: 

• Continue running nature camps for up to 30 young people per camp 

• Keep activities FREE for all participants, removing barriers to access to nature 
• Provide transport FREE for those who need it 
• Reduce isolation within marginalised communities 
• Improve physical and mental wellbeing for all participants 
• Break barriers and create community cohesion

Click here to help Black2Nature continue to provide FREE inclusive, fun and accessible nature camps for marginalised young people for nature engagement and improved wellbeing. And don't forget to share this link on your social feed! 

Read more Greenhouse Communications nature need-to-knows: 

Why land rights justice for Indigenous peoples and local communities must be at the heart of the climate movement  

Lessons from Antarctica: the frozen continent on the front line of the climate crisis 

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