Europarc Youth Manifesto launch at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Pembrokeshire launch for Europarc Youth Manifesto

A group of young people who volunteer regularly to conserve and enhance the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park have launched a new manifesto, which they created alongside counterparts from rural areas and protected places across Europe.

National Park Youth Rangers: Cat Edwards, Matt Gillard and Ethan Tizzard presented the Europarc Youth Manifesto titled A Call for Change in Rural Communities and Protected Areas at  meeting of the National Park Authority.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Youth Rangers launched the Europarc Youth Manifesto at a meeting of the National Park Authority.​

Some of the Youth Rangers formed part of the original group of young people from across the continent that developed the document in workshops in Scotland and Finland. They then went on to attend the launch in the Cairngorms National Park at the Europarc Conference themed European Parks; Inspired by the Next Generation.

Following the meeting the Youth Rangers said: “Members of the Authority congratulated us on the manifesto and our presentation, but we were after something a little more concrete to help move things forward.”

“The committee then agreed to create a working group to bring some Authority Members and young people to together, in order to identify and prioritise more ideas for future action, which is what we wanted.”

Youth Rangers from the Pembrokeshire Coast were involved in the development and launch of the manifesto in the Cairngorms National Park in 2018.

The manifesto focuses on three areas important to young people; living, learning and working in rural areas, and calls for youth empowerment and greater involvement in decision making so they can influence the policies that will impact on their lives and those of future generations.

The Youth Rangers would like young people from other youth organisations to get involved in these discussions, and are also looking for other opportunities to present and discuss the manifesto in Pembrokeshire, so if you are a member of a group that wants to hear more, or you want to hear more about the Youth Ranger scheme, please contact Tom Moses via tomm@pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk or call 07773 788205.

To download the Europarc Youth Manifesto in full visit www.europarc.org/nature/young-people/youth-manifesto.