Scotland's Young People's Forest recognised at Scottish Charity Awards

Four young panellists travelled to Edinburgh for a night of celebration after SYPF was selected as a finalist in the Climate Conscious category.

Three members of Scotland's Young People's Forest collect their finalist certificate at the Scottish Charity Awards.

Scotland’s Young People’s Forest (SYPF) has been recognised for its contribution to raising environmental awareness after being selected as a finalist in this year’s Scottish Charity Awards.

The annual event, hosted by SCVO, celebrates the very best of Scotland’s non-profit sector, recognising the outstanding achievements of charities across the country.

This year’s awards saw Scotland’s Young People’s Forest nominated as a finalist for the Climate Conscious award, alongside fellow finalists Edinburgh Science and Climate Action Strathaven.

Guiding the project is a 16-strong Youth Leadership Panel of young people, making key decisions about the future of the project to ensure its accessibility, sustainability and longevity.

Panel members Josie, Dee, Finlay and Katherine attended the event to receive their finalist’s certificate, with Climate Action Strathaven walking away with the award.

Panel members of Scotland's Young People's Forest pose for a photo at the Scottish Charity Awards.
Panel members pose for a photo at the awards ceremony.

SYPF is a collaboration between YouthLink Scotland and Young Scot, seeking to establish the very first forest in Scotland that is co-designed, led and governed by young people.

The initiative recently welcomed on board new project partners the Woodland Trust and Green Action Trust, and has been supported by founding partners Corra Foundation, NatureScot, Pears Foundation, Scottish Enterprise, Accenture and Wood.

RSPB Scotland has been instrumental in the latest phase of the project, helping to identify Baron’s Haugh Nature reserve in North Lanarkshire as a site for the project, working with young people involved in SYPF to develop their land management skills.