A Green Influencer’s Story
Meet Tom Boldock, one of 7,000+ young people still making a difference
I think everyone should have this opportunity when they are younger. It’s changed my life. My advice is don’t wait for opportunities to come to you – go and find them.
A career working outdoors beckons for Tom Boldock, a university student in the final year of his Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Management degree.
The 20-year-old from Hull hopes to join a nature reserve education centre, helping youth and community groups learn about the environment and how to look after it.
But it could have been a very different path for Tom, because at primary school age he wasn’t particularly interested in being outside.
What changed was his introduction to a local group, Child Dynamix, and the funding it received from our £3m Green Influencers Scheme (match-funded through the #iwill Fund), to help young people lead the way on environmental social action projects – to become ‘Green Influencers’.
Becoming a Green Influencer massively increased my confidence, which I didn’t have when I was growing up. Because the people were so passionate about nature, it rubbed off on me.
More than 7,000 Green Influencers set about devising and delivering a range of innovative schemes, including seed swaps, hedgerow mapping, recycling old phones, and creating wildlife spaces.
As a Green Influencer, Tom participated in a number of activities, including creating a nature trail for Alderman Kneeshaw Park in Hull, in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
I also did some work experience with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Part of this involved going into schools, and that definitely planted the seeds for what I want to do for a career in the future.
Having drawn to a close in summer 2023, the Green Influencers Scheme has been replaced by the Blue Influencers Scheme, which supports people living in areas of deprivation in coastal, estuary and riverside locations, by empowering them to tackle environmental and climate issues. You can read more about the Blue Influencers Scheme here:
We invite you to read more about the impacts of the Green Influencers Scheme here:
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