Go Wild at Hudnall is a Services for Young People (SfYP) project through which young people learn techniques to help improve their emotional wellbeing by connecting with nature.
The SfYP Hospital Youth Work Team took a group of young people with special educational needs and disabilities and some young people with type 1 diabetes to a half-day ‘Wild Wellbeing’ session every week throughout August.
The aim was to increase their knowledge of wildlife and provide them with useful mindfulness tools and activities that they can use to help them manage their emotions. A second aim was to gather feedback from them about their experiences with the NHS clinics and services they use on a regular basis so that improvements can be made.
The group took part in activities such as butterfly catching, mammal identification, building bird feeders and bird boxes. They also did some bush craft activities such as wood whittling, lighting fires and making bracelets out of brambles. They said:
“These sessions were really calming, and I really enjoyed being out in nature.”
“I did things that I wouldn’t usually do and met people with the same condition as me and was given a space to talk about my experiences.”
If you know or work with young people who are living with, or at risk of, poor mental health, find out more about how Go Wild at Hudnall could help them here:
Find out more about the SfYP Hospital Youth Work Project and how you can request a visit here:
Go Wild at Hudnall is delivered by SfYP in partnership with Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.