“He listened to our wants and wishes, allowing us to take the floor with projects”

Kyson originally got involved with Groundwork via The Proud Trust’s LGBQT+ youth group. One of Groundwork’s youth workers, John was facilitating a session on eco based projects with a vague idea to “green” the site’s garden.

“What encapsulated me around John’s approach was how he truly listened to our wants and wishes, not wasting time by overexplaining simple constructs but rather allowing us to take the floor with the projects. I remember John saying that he is not there to “tell us what to do or how to do our project” and that “we are the ones who make and present our ideas and john will do everything he can to facilitate the project”. Immediately entrusting the group with the freedom of the project certainly helped me to trust John back, exciting me for what project I could be doing.”

During the initial stage, John would take the time to individually get to know each of the attendees, understanding what about nature fascinates them. Having an open dialogue to chime in as much as each side could. There were times when John didn’t know about a topic and was clearly eager to learn from the attendees.

Some sessions later, after deciding the projects John showed and empowered the group to contact the service providers and the land owners of the sites they wished to work with. This was an amazing opportunity for the group keeping in line key developmental skills they would need with the project ahead.

“All of this and more is why my first encounter with Groundwork resonated well with me, it wasn’t just because I have been an eco-enthusiast for years but because of the key relationship John built with not just myself but others.”

Sometime later Kyson asked John if it would be possible to do a work placement for Groundwork, which he gladly facilitated. Since those two weeks he has been involved in several projects, such as Climate Leaders and Green Leaders. Groundwork GM inspired Kyson to make an impact on ecology and conservation.

Kyson is now working with Groundwork to engage young people on our nature sites, to use for exploring, restoring and youth green enterprise.

Watch Kyson’s video here: