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Green Leaders

National Parks Green Pathways is a collection of programmes to support careers in the Green Economy. 

Green Leaders is our training and engagement programme which supports young people as leading voices and active participants in the Green Economy and conservation through, for example, working as Young Rangers in National Parks. Green Leaders is about giving young people the opportunity – today – to take a leadership role in caring for and protecting our National Parks, nature and the environment.

Ready to take the next step?

Find out how you can get involved with your National Park.

Volunteer , Discover (opens in a new tab)

Start your journey with National Parks. Discover more about our volunteering vacancies throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

The people you work and learn from are either professional rangers, environmentalists or volunteers who are older and have amazing knowledge and experience. You have to adapt and absorb as much as you can.

Green Leaders Stories

Stories from Green Leaders , Discover more (opens in a new tab)

Here are just a few of the Green Leaders who have benefitted from our Generation Green careers skills and engagement programmes and some of those who have helped them.

Youth Voice stories , Discover More (opens in a new tab)

The UK’s National Parks are putting policy into action. Here are some stories from Young Leaders about how that happens.

Discover more

National Parks Green Pathways is designed to inspire children and young adults, reaching out into communities beyond National Park boundaries.

Green Beacons , Coming Soon (opens in a new tab)

Green Beacons supports outdoor educators and youth leaders to be inspirational figures who light the way for young people to work in the Green Economy.

Green Shoots , Discover More (opens in a new tab)

Green Shoots supports activities, learning and outreach programmes that connect children and young people to nature and the outdoors.

Generation Green , Discover More (opens in a new tab)

Through work-based career entry, training, volunteering, residential programmes, outdoor and online learning experiences, Generation Green has created more than 100,000 opportunities for young people to connect with nature.

It’s not every day you get to see one of our National Parks in biscuit form on @britishbakeoff!

Last night, The Great British Bake Off contestant @itsdoctoryan created a beautiful biscuit mosaic inspired by the Broads National Park, perfectly capturing the view at St Benet’s Mill, Thurne. 

And it wasn’t just a feast for the eyes as the mosaic was made using treacle and ginger, honey and lemon, cocoa and malted milk, and pistachio biscuits. 

Two great things combined: a beautiful National Park view and delicious biscuits. What could be better than that? 💚 

Photo: Channel 4

#GBBO #BakeOff #NorfolkBroads @broadsnationalpark
The Yorkshire Dales has one of the highest concentrations of caves and caverns of any of our 15 National Parks - a whole landscape hiding beneath the ground.

Our National Parks don’t just protect and preserve the landscapes we see every day. They also help care for historic and unique places discovered by our ancestors, like Ingleborough Cave and Gaping Gill, both of which were shrouded in myth and legend until they were explored by Victorians in the 1800s.

There’s so much more to our National Parks than meets the eye and sometimes, quite literally beneath the surface 👀 

#YorkshireDales #GapingGill #Ingleborough
A week on from National Parks UK’s Big Volunteer Weekend, we’re still celebrating the people who make a difference across our National Parks.

Last weekend, hundreds of people came together across all 15 National Parks to give their time, share their skills and support our landscapes.

But volunteering in our National Parks doesn’t happen just one weekend a year. All year round, volunteers play an incredible variety of roles – from leading guided walks and supporting education, to conservation, planting and caring for our landscapes.

Every volunteer makes a valuable contribution to protecting our natural and cultural heritage. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you. 💚

So, to all our volunteers: thank you for your time, energy, enthusiasm and everything you bring to our National Parks.
If you know someone who volunteers in a National Park, help us spread the thanks by sharing this post. 🌿

#Volunteers #NationalParks #NationalParksUK
It’s the Autumn Equinox 🍂

Our National Parks are always changing in time with the rhythm of nature, but this becomes particularly noticeable when autumn arrives.

Deer begin to rut, spiders’ cobwebs glisten in the fresh light, fungi become more prominent, and leaves begin to change colour.

What changes have you noticed so far? 🧡

#Autumn #AutumnEquinox #NationalParks