“I think Wildestan has also helped me decide on what I want to do in the future. I really want to work in conservation and Wildestan has confirmed that a job surrounding that would be ideal for me because I love the outdoors and the natural world.”
Wildestan – the beginning
I’ve just finished year 11 and I’m going onto 6th form in the Autumn. I’m extremely interested in the natural world and I would like to work in conservation someday. I heard about Wildestan from one of those scarily accurate targeted ads on Instagram and it seemed right up my street. I joined because I was getting fed up of sitting inside with a combination of lockdown and it being winter so I thought it might give me an opportunity to connect with nature and the outdoors even while stuck at home.
On Wildestan
The Wildestan Adventures are really fun and there’s something new every week. The topics are so varied and the experts who run the sessions are happy to answer any questions you may have. My favourite ones have been exploring a quarry in South Wales and learning about the geology and history of the area and there was one session where we looked at different nests that birds build which was very interesting. I’ve also learnt life skills at Wildestan. There have been a couple of sessions where you learn about how emotions affect you when on expeditions and how keeping calm is essential. Those skills can be applied to anything. Wildestan also teaches you about practical skills for expeditions such as building a fire and what food would be most ideal to bring.
Post-Wildestan
Having completed a season of Wildestan, I now feel a lot more secure in my abilities and I feel like I have learned a lot. As a result of that, I feel a lot more comfortable about joining expeditions and I would like to go on one soon. I think Wildestan has also helped me decide on what I want to do in the future. I really want to work in conservation and Wildestan has confirmed that a job surrounding that would be ideal for me because I love the outdoors and the natural world. The leaders who run Wildestan are super at leading the sessions and always take time to answer questions. They make the experience so much more interactive and it’s brilliant that they take the time to do this.
Other
If someone was thinking of joining Wildestan but was undecided, I would tell them to just do it. It’s free and from the comfort of your own home while also being great fun and you learn a lot about a variety of things. You meet other young people who are interested in similar topics and there is no reason why you shouldn’t join