Nature View Social enterprise Wildlife photography and art workshops.

We are in the process of setting up Wildlife photography and art workshops.The workshops will be setup to assist crime reduction and boost school attendances in disadvantaged communities. The workshops will be the engine to drive the initative forward by offering workshops in these areas.This will encourage individuals the chance to connect with with like minded people to discuss local flora and fauna by visiting greenspaces,documenting and capturing a variety of species using digital cameras. The evidence will then be recorded electronically and used in a variety of ways.
This will encourage individuals to learn basic key skills English,Maths and ICT . They will also be encouraged to develop their creative skills by using images to create murals and encouraged to paint and draw wildlife.

That is a wonderful initiative Paul and to be honest we do not usually allow any kind of advertising on this forum, however, with such a proactive initiative to help children get more involved in wildlife and aid their learning skills and reduce crime, it can only be a good thing and deserves applauding and i'm sure the other Admins on site will agree with me.
Hopefully as you have posted this, you will keep us informed as to how it's all going and how the kids are enjoying it.
Where are your workshops based Paul?

littlewid-x-

Workshops will initially be around the Merseyside area as the other director is a local Wildlife Artist who gets a lot of commissions from Chester Zoo for his work.I appreciate that advertising is not allowed on the forum ,but I was invited to do so by White Starling as it is a not for profit initiative. The basis will be funded and by raising capital by donations and other sources of income.
My background was working in security with local law enforcement and it would probably be more effective to be pro-active as against re-active by giving youngsters the chance to be creative. As opposed to dragging them through the system when given the chance some good can be achieved by these methods. Also being interested in all kinds of wildlife I cannot see where future watchers are coming from without some gentle persuasion in the right direction.This can only aid society in general and the environment.

Good to know WS beat me to this one Paul, I really do think it's a wonderful initiative. I so agree with being proactive rather than reactive, especially when dealing with children/young adults, I think if they are given postive reinforcement and respect they are more inclined to participate, especially if it's something they have an interest in. The younger generation are the people we need to learn and care about our wildlife and hopefully in some circumstances change things around for the better.
Is it something you plan on initiating through to other cities as it's not only Merseyside that has troubles? it sounds a positive initiative that could be spread throughout the country. Are you doing this all by yourself wth your other director or do you have backing? I am thinking you have the backing of the police and the courts but I am wondering if you have the support of your local Government.......just thinking this could become a nationwide initiative with total backing from Parliament.

littlewid-x-

Very well done Paul there are not enough good people to stick their neck on the line to help people like this. I have worked in the volunteer sector as a youth leader and find that parents etc. are very demanding and have the wrong outlook on what you are trying to achieve. So appreciate how difficult it can be.

As an Admin, Like WS and LW, I would say this is exactly the sort of thing that is welcomed on the forum to help others or even to give hope to guests looking in that might benefit from these kind of workshops. Thanks for posting.

Like LW asks could you keep us regularly updated. You have opened the flood gates and cant leave us hanging

SM

This is a great idea Paul, and I knew the other Admins would be fully behind it. I worked in a Childrens Home for many years, and I know people with a passion can change peoples lives. I'm not that far away from you in Merseyside, as I'm in North Wales. Please keep us informed as to how things are going
WS

Sounds like a great initiative Paul.

Looking forward to hearing how the project is going.

Lai