Education and Youth Forum

Are you a teacher?

Please feel free to use our online self-led resources to inspire your pupils in class projects and topics. All learning is linked to the Curriculum for Excellence.

Throughout the project, our Education Officer can also offer lessons and assemblies anywhere in Orkney to help your pupils learn more about Orkney’s native wildlife and the threat of invasive non-native species, such as the stoat.

If you would like to talk to us about coming to your school soon, please contact us.

“The children have experienced a rich learning opportunity. They talk about their knowledge for a long time after the class visit. I also come away feeling a greater sense of appreciation for where I live and inspired to do more of this type of work in my teaching. Thank you!”

P6/7 Teacher, Glaitness Primary

Are you a young person with a passion for nature?

Then check out the Youth Forum! The Forum is an informal group of people aged 16-30 with a shared passion for the natural world.

This group meets roughly once a month, to take part in a range of outdoorsy and nature-based activities. Past examples include foraging for wild garlic, a beach clean-up, and camping out on Hoy. While most of what they get up to takes place under the vast Orkney skies, the group do occasionally venture indoors. When they do, this usually entails some kind of nature-related crafting.

Since the start of 2023, the Forum have experienced the aurora together, spotted golden eagles and watched killer whales cruise along the coast! But while orcas cannot be guaranteed for every occasion, great company can. Take a scroll through the events below, to see what’s on the agenda for this year.

Orkney schools celebrate nature in creative writing competition

In 2021 Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP), in partnership with Orkney International Science Festival and Raising Awareness in Science Education (RAiSE), organised a school creative-writing competition inspired by our wonderful native wildlife. Orkney school children were challenged to dive into their ancestor’s language, dig up some forgotten words and celebrate their natural heritage using the Orcadian dialect. The judges had a tough job as the standard was so very high. Here are the winners with links to their work and some photos of the prize giving.

Best Group category: For groups of four or more or a whole class. Boys and girls at Papdale School Class P2/3S for a lovely short story called ‘The Peedie Partan’s Misanter’.

Joint Best Individual Overall: Gracie Train (P7) North Walls Community School for her poem ‘Ringed Plover’.

Joint Best Individual Overall: Erika Bews (P7) Shapinsay School for her poem ‘Oot Me Window I Saa’.

Best Orkney School: North Walls Community School for the high quality of all their entries and their creative ideas.

Special Recognition Award: Jessica Rendall Papdale School class P4M for her short story ‘The Vole Travellers’.