We are looking for 10 underprivilged young people to take to Ecuador in Darwin’s Footsteps.

Do you know someone – aged 16-19 (by 19th October 2024) who would benefit?

Daniel Ward

19 – South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Pay it Forward Project – Daniel was determined to help his local area from the ground up especially the land around the River Clyde. Speaking to fishermen he learned that numbers had dropped dramatically and when he looked into why he realised it was down to the lack of vegetation alongside the river. So, working with his Scout group, he made ‘wild seed bombs’ and has been planting them all along the river, the idea being that the plants will attract insects, who will attract birds, shade will also be created meaning more fish in the water – in short the whole eco-system will improve from the simple act of planting seeds.

Reo Christopher

18 – Birmingham, England

Pay it Forward Project – Reo has made it her mission to collect discarded plastic bottles and get them recycled to offset those that will be used to manufacture the entire #WeTwo team’s kit. She’s got her local Scout group involved in this too and has given younger members talks on the environment and how we can live greener lives individually. She is now working with another Scout group who have created greenhouses from old plastic bottles to see if she can do something similar with her young people.

Owen Jones

18 – Knowsley, England

Pay it Forwards Project – Owen decided to tackle the issue of ‘fast fashion’ by holding an event where local people could donate clothes they no longer wanted and pick up something new – for free – by simply making an environmental pledge as ‘payment’. The event was so successful it was attended by the local Mayor.

Melos Krasniqi

19 – London, England

Pay if Forward Project – Melos’ project is so big it will take nearly a year to be realised but that’s because he is working with his former high school to take all the steps necessary to make it Green Flag certified. He’s already set up a committee and has a plan in place to make sure this happens by early next year.

Malaki Morgan-Richards

18 – London, England

Pay it Forward Project – Malaki has been working with the Conservation Volunteers in Hanringey to help clear and maintain the green spaces in the community. He’s been clearing grass, helping to maintain plant beds and learning how to do surveys of local wildlife.

Oli Bradshaw

16 – Devon, England

Pay it Forward Project – Oli has taken part in beach cleans close to them helping collect rubbish and sign up local people to join in. They live on a caravan park and have worked with the owners to make the site more environmentally friendly by bringing in recycling facilities and taking steps to make habitats onsite that will appeal to wildlife.

Ellese Owen

18 – Nottingham, England

Pay it Forward Project – Ellese has been working with her school (as well as doing this at home) to start growing their own fruit and veg to serve in the canteen. She hopes that this will help with the cost of living crisis and reduce the school’s amount of food miles. She’s also been giving talks in assemblies to younger students about environmental issues and solutions.

Aoibh Bradley

16 – Belfast, Northern Ireland

Pay it Forward Project – Aoibh has spent the summer working with the Belfast Hills Partnership planting over 6,500 trees and hedgerows in old industrial sites behind the city. The idea is to help provide a good habitat for native wildlife, help bring more oxygen into the city by providing green spaces and sequester carbon produced by the urban environment.

Allison Ciszynska

18 – Llanelli, Wales

Pay it Forward Project – Allison has used her summer to join a local litter picking group in Llanelli where she has collected rubbish in key sites around the town. She is the youngest one by far but says she has been inspired by the others and modified her own behaviour since taking part, and made her friends consider their actions too.

Raff Mathews

19 – Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England

Pay it Forward Project – Despite coming into the team late (Raff was on the reserve list), Raff has big plans. In his hometown of Clacton-on- Sea (home to one of the most deprived areas of Britain according to the Ministry of Housing in 2019) he worked with his mum – a primary school teacher – and organised a beach clean locally, giving the youngsters a talk on the problem of plastics in the ocean. He plans to make the event annual or even biannual going forwards.