Calling trail-based changemakers! Join new working group on nature-inclusive work!

Image by Pete Scullion. Words by Rach Coleman and Stan Townsend.

We've sometimes worried this year that the Our Trails Gathering might have seemed like a bit of a blip. A singular moment of tremendous energy, never to be returned to or repeated. In all honesty, at times it's felt like this might be true. The Gathering, and Emergence, the programme of our work the event falls within, are still really new for us. It sometimes has to go on the backburner while our more established work takes centrestage.

But the philosophy of Emergence, and of TFT's work really, is that the most impactful change, the change we need, has to grow slow deep roots. So while it's been quiet since the Gathering, Emergence has been simmering in the background. After sharing and exploring together with friends, peers and partners in December, we took all we learned and discovered and put it back into the ground, let winter and spring do its thing, and from it some new shapes have grown.

Which brings us to now!

We're thrilled to be announcing a call out for expressions of interest for trail-based changemakers. If you work in and around recreational trails, and want to weave nature more deeply into your work, then this project is one for you.

This is a voluntary working group, guided by Rach and Stan Townsend, an initiator of the Emergence programme. The group will meet monthly for six months to explore, test, play and co-create tangible resources that allow us to integrate nature connection into how we work, and discover how this better supports our individual, organisational and sector-wide ambitions for the places we care about.

We don't know what's going to happen - but that's sort of the point!

See the full call out below, and submit your expression of interest to participate here.

Thanks for being here!

Calling all trail-based changemakers! Co-creating a toolkit for nature-inclusive work!

You know nature matters, but how do you actually integrate nature connection into your organisation? That’s the challenge we’re tackling together!

This is your invitation to help create a new toolkit for bringing nature into the workplace; a collaborative, open-access resource built by and for small, passionate, volunteer-powered organisations working in and around recreational trails.

Together we’ll explore nature-based thinking, drawing from biomimicry, ecophilosophy, systems thinking and nature connection practices. Our intention is to design and document tools that help build more resilient organisations and collaborations across recreational trail ecosystems, so we can better protect the places we adventure in.

Guided by Rach Coleman and Stan Townsend, this group is open to individuals from across our sector. You might be part of an ENGO, small charity, trail collective, or working freelance. We’ll shape the work we do together through monthly sessions where we share practice, test ideas and co-create resources.

We don’t know exactly what we’ll create, but this is kind of the point! This is an open-ended collaborative group. Everyone will get to bring their own expertise, passion and aims to the project, reflecting the diversity of work in and around recreational trails.

Who is this for?

This working group hopes to bring together professionals who work within:

• Environmental not for profits or charities

• Small organisations, CiCs or charities who work in and around recreational trails and relevant communities

• Freelancers whose work depends on recreational trails and the surrounding communities and industries

You might fall into one or many of these categories, or none of them. We are keen to bring together a diversity of perspectives, with recreational trails as our shared meeting point.

What will I have to do?

Folks who join the working group will be asked to join a two hour call once a month. There is no expectation you work on this project outside of that time, however you might occasionally volunteer to host a session or an activity in a session, and might want to do some prep time for that.

Is this paid?

This is not a paid opportunity. Trash Free Trails are self-funding this project, and unfortunately don’t have the means at this stage to pay participating individuals.

We have complete respect for the impact this will have on individuals’ ability to commit, and we hope that the uniqueness of this project will make it a worthwhile voluntary donation of time and talent.

How many places are available in the group?

There are a maximum of 15 spaces available in the working group.

Given this work is emerging we are keen to create a tightknit and committed group who attend most, if not all sessions. This will help us create consistency.

How long does the project run for?

Currently we have planned for 5 sessions over 6 months, starting from September and concluding in February. This may change as the group and the work we create evolves.

Submit your interest to participate here.