I hear you @mags49 . We need need more role models to shine their lights.
Not sure if I am getting the reply to bit right - all messages are really to all readers!
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The other thing was some work I did a while ago, previously shared with Rachel. I surveyed many Scottish conservation volunteers and got 300+ self selected responses. I was surprised to see a statistically significant difference between men and women respondents on n nature connectedness, pro environment behaviours and environmental attitude scores. These scores were based on established work on scales. In each of those three aspects women cons vols were more positive than men in their responses. It led me to think that it’s possible women talk about more, are more aware and/or they really do care a great deal.
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Yes indeed @mags49 There is a huge joy engaging young people and children in nature and hearing them share their stories and experiences of the outdoors is indeed inspiring. It’s good you have remained sustained. We need good people like you doing this @mags49! Shared passions are infectious and children and young people are inspiring all the time with their enthusiasm and energy for wildlife and conservation and caring for the environment! 
What a pleasure pressing flowers and leaves gave in those innocent days, great memories shared Thanks!
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As well as good role models I feel opening up more opportunities is really important. In my opinion having forest school opportunities in school has made a real difference to the connecting with nature feel for young people.
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There has been a quiet revolution going in in early years education and parents are being encouraged to join in forest school activities and support their children to spend time outdoors. I hope that by nurturing a love of nature in early life and building on it throughout school years will sustain an interest even it dips for a few years.
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We said we’d be taking a look at past present and future. So, let’s start by looking back at some inspiring female naturalists and environmentalists throughout history – from Ancient Egypt to Modern Alaska! This interesting story highlights some incredible women from the past. We hope they inspire you and are interested to know if you have heard of these amazing women…
Forest schools is a great innovation, though there are other schemes and some people (some here?) will have trialled lots of related stuff over the years. I think what’s great about these schemes is they can take some of the fear out of it for those delivering, can allow them to focus on sharing those positives and on the opportunities for learning.
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Are you familiar with any of these women naturalists?
- Maria Sibylla Merian (1647- 1717)
- Mary Anning (1799 –1847)
- Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)
- Janaki Ammal (1897- 1984)
- Barbara McClintock (1902-1992)
- Rachel Carson (1907 -1964)
- Wangarĩ Maathai (1940- 2011)
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While I knew about Beatrix Potter’s contribution to children’s literacy, I’ve only recently become aware of her contribution to natural history.
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Quick scan of the Discovering Wildlife article linked. Woe is me, with one exception, my awareness of these women in your list is culturally biased. R Carson’s book was a massive thing for me as a young woman, both because she was a woman and because she questioned the march of ‘progress’ world view. An early questioner of growth is good, if you like! I’d read about the African woman Wangari Mathaii only in the context of the green belt schemes covering the Sahel area now, there something I read mentioned her. I am into geoconservation so Mary Anning has to be in there! Great to see Hildegard of Bingen being in the site you linked - what a woman, I only know a tiny bit but she seems to have been well ahead of her time.
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And diving into the wonder women of ornithology! Here we remember, some brilliant but overlooked women who advanced our knowledge of birds. Are you familiar with any of these wonderful ladies?
For me, a true inspiration was Marianne North an intrepid artist and adventurer of the Victorian era who explored the world and painted some incredible botanical art en route! This was groundbreaking stuff at the time to be a woman travelling on her own and her botanical artwork, particularly orchids, is stunning. You can literally travel the world through her paintings and her Marianne North Gallery at Kew is simply mind blowing! She was a true unsung pioneer in botanical art! So, who inspires you from the past and why?
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For me a female icon from the past is Mary Seacole who as a pioneer left the island of Jamaica in the 1700s to have an impact overseas as a nurse used her knowledge and healing powers as a herbalist and scientific knowledge. More currently its Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai a true inspiration in public engagement and behaviour change and action - reaching people at home and globally about the value of trees.
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I still do this but add pressed flowers into pen and ink illustrations and paintings for handmade cards…
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For me I love Sylvia Earle, as one of the first women to help discover the marine world. I think she is amazing, she is about 86 now and I think she still lectures!
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Mary Seacole has rightly received more attention of late, a pioneer. I didn’t know W Maathai was a nobel laureate, must look that up later. What I saw her name in was about the green belt (small letters) operating in the Sahel. Making it possible for women to take action to improve the lot of their families and communities. The big prizes aren’t what motivates people like these, they are motivated by something more lasting and fundamental in their attitude to community and responsibility, I think!
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I do quite a bit of small stitched things and you have just given me an idea… maybe next Christmas!
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I don’t know her but try to look her up, she sounds interesting.
Yes @BZEducation good role models are so important! We will be discussing the empowering women in our here and now in our next iForum LIVE! session… And forest school opportunities are also wonderful for children and young people that don’t have access to nature. Widening access to nature in education is so important. And bringing good role models in really helps to engage…