Inspiring young people to take action

We want to inspire, support and empower young people to take action for our world and help build a more sustainable future.

Join the fight for your world

Today's young people will be the stewards of our planet in the years to come. That’s why we're putting young people at the centre of our work. We’re working with young people who care about our natural world, to help them explore the issues facing our planet, and equip them to take positive action to protect it.

Our youth engagement programme supports and empowers young people, helping them to inspire and motivate others to join in the fight for our world. There will be plenty of opportunities for young people to get involved and take action, from upcoming community events to accessing our dedicated youth engagement toolkit.

Competition open banner, with three young people smiling.

Enter the Sustainable Futures Competition

Join the conversation and tell us how you can help people connect with nature through your chosen job.

For more information on how to get involved and for details on what you could win, click on the link below.

We can’t wait to hear about the sustainable future that you envision!

Please note that this competition is for 16-18 years olds.

Click here to find out more

Close up of feathers of the Golden pheasant, (Chrysolophus pictus), displaying to female pheasants at Yangxian Nature Reserve, Shaanxi, China

WWF YTH

We have some exciting news!

Over the past few months, we’ve worked with our Youth Ambassadors and over 500 young people across the UK, to hear what they’d like from a free WWF online youth community for 13–17-year old’s.

To learn more about it and to sign up to be amongst the first to hear the latest news and developments relating to WWF YTH, click on the link below!

Find out more

Meet our youth ambassadors

A dedicated group of young people, aged between 13-25, who are helping us lead in the fight for our world.

Our inspirational youth ambassadors meet regularly with the Youth Engagement team and colleagues across the organisation to discuss ideas, help shape projects, attend events and meet key stakeholders and decision makers. Ultimately these brilliant young people are stepping up to help take action, protect our planet – and create a brighter world for future generations.

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Abbie

Hi! I’m Abbie and I wanted to become a youth ambassador to share my passion for nature as well as empower others to get involved in activities helping the environment. I enjoy going on walks, being outside and cooking. I love to be around people, although like many others sometimes find it hard to communicate my passion for nature to build up an eco community.
My main interest is connected to both people and nature which is ethical shopping (clothes, food and beauty products). I hope to be able to fight for workers rights as well as ensuring things are grown and made sustainably. As well as this I want to both learn and spread knowledge on simple ways to make your house a bit greener. I have done litter picking and been involved in many volunteering groups but would love to have the opportunity at some point to be able to speak to people about their methods and why they do things.
My journey has only just started and I hope to make a positive impact!
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Abbie-Rose

I wanted to become a WWF UK Youth Ambassador because I needed a space where I could express my opinions on environmental issues with other young people close to my age and who have similar interests.

I am interested in the relationship between environmental issues and politics because I've always had a fascination about how politics affects our everyday lives and our planet too.

One of my biggest achievements was when I got asked to be the Wellbeing Pupil Lead for my school. This means I get to help create strategies on how to improve the environment of my local community, and I get to be involved in key discussions about improving areas within my school.

My goals for the future are to get into my dream university - Edinburgh, and far in the future, I would like to work for the United Nations, because I have a strong passion for protecting human rights everywhere.
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Aoife

I always have been fascinated by our world’s wildlife but it has been impossible to ignore the fact it is in grave danger. For me, biodiversity loss is the biggest environmental issue as it makes communities, ecosystems and the whole planet less resilient to threats like climate change and plastic pollution.

Over the last few years I have put a lot of effort into making my garden it a habitat for local wildlife. I now see numerous species I could never have imagined visiting on a regular basis. I believe my garden is proof that nature can come back when given the chance. As a young person it is easy to feel helpless when faced by such huge challenges as the ones facing our world today.

I became a youth ambassador to meet other passionate young people and work together to accomplish more than I could on my own. In the future I hope to have career in this sector and continue to work for our world.
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Anusha

I have a particular passion for combating climate change and understanding how we can use economic policy to achieve this effectively.

As a youth ambassador I am excited to talk to different stakeholders and minimise greenwashing by holding governments and organisations responsible for their actions. I am grateful for this unique opportunity to collaborate with other youth ambassadors on different projects and I hope that together we can inspire and empower other young people to advocate for the change they want to see in their community.

I was invited to speak at the UN headquarters in New York and won an award for debating ‘the implementation of an environmental economy’. I am also attending Global Youth Climate training sessions where I am learning about issues from climate finance to how indigenous tribes are affected by climate change from Oxford professors and other experts. I hope to study Geography at university!
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Emma

I live in Yorkshire and love nothing better than climbing trees and reading books (sometimes a combination of both). My passion for nature stems from when I was little, fueling a determination to play my part in stopping the environmental emergencies we face today.

Currently, I am working with my school and ModeShift Stars as an Active Travel Ambassador and educating myself and others on sustainable travel. I am also a member of our school’s Eco-committee, where we push for nature’s voice to be heard in our local area and with our council and wildlife organizations.

In the future, I hope to get involved in re-wilding. I find this interesting because it gives back to nature, no matter how small the space. I am so excited to be a WWF ambassador and make the change I and so many others want to see!
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Eshan

Hi! Keep an eye out for my bio, it's coming soon!
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Hattie

From a really young age I have always felt a connection to the land and all she has to offer us. The more I learnt about nature the more I realised how important it is and how intertwined we are with her. I feel passionate that there is a voice in each young person that they can use to bring about environmental and social change.
I became a WWF youth ambassador so that I can support others to have the confidence and feel empowered to communicate their concerns to bring about change to not only themselves but on a local and national level. by creating communities and talking about how special our planet is, we can then encourage action.
I also work with young women to help support them in their journey with nature connection, this love has been a winding story for myself as at times the environmental sector can feel large and overwhelming but finding your niche that brings you happiness is a vital part of this work. Personally this is nature connection and how when groups of young people come together on the land the passion is found within them. You can’t bring about change to the environment unless you care about it, that care only comes from connection. I have also run projects like The Little Earth Library that aims to get as many nature books into homes as possible to create a culture of education around the environment. As well as peer mentoring on rites of passages for young women, supporting on expeditions and being the voice in the ear of power in my local town through public meetings and lobbying.
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Ilaria

Hi! My name is Ilaria and I'm 14 years old. I'm originally from Venice in Italy but I live in Scotland. I love helping the planet and making a change no matter how big or small. I became a Youth Ambassador for these resons and to meet others that are dedicated and have the same ambitions as me. I love being a youth ambassador and I can't wait to get stuck into various projects in my role.
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Siena

I applied for the youth ambassador position at WWF for many reasons. Of course, I have a huge passion for our natural environment, but I also wanted to inspire other young people to share that same passion.
I believe it is important that all young people across the UK get involved in taking care of our wild isles, so when I saw the opportunity to get involved at the very heart of activism I jumped at the chance.
I think our ecosystem deserves a lot more care, especially from young people, who are our future. I’m excited for my own future in this role, specifically meeting with like-minded young people who share these interests and want to make a difference.
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Will

I have always had a great passion for animals and the natural world, and from an early age, I knew that I wanted to be involved with animals and the environment in some way. Throughout primary school, I was renowned for my interest in wildlife, hosting assemblies on wildlife and the damaging effects of climate change. In Year 3, I started the WWF’s campaign for Wear It Wild at my school, raising over £400 in total. In Year 6, my headmistress allowed me to attend the ‘Time is Now’ event in London campaigning for WWF. At the event, I was then interviewed by WWF and became more involved with the organisation and was invited to become a WWF Youth Ambassador. This has been such an amazing opportunity, allowing me to be more involved in helping to highlight the issues facing the environment to young people and how we can all help.
Since moving to secondary school, my love for nature has only grown. Back in 2019, I was lucky enough to attend the ‘Where the world turns’ WWF event at the Royal Institution in London. There I met and discussed a variety of environmental issues with a range of experts, including Extinction Rebellion co-founder Jack Harris and Deadly 60 presenter Steve Backshall. Later that year, I hosted a webinar on rainforests with WWF expert Jamie Gordon, where I received huge support and overall had a great turnout.

I am also a proud member of my school’s eco-team, where we are currently working towards obtaining a Green Eco Flag award. This has involved running several campaigns to try and make our school a more environmentally friendly place; including examining the soil quality of our school grounds and how water is managed and saved throughout the site.

In November 2021, I was offered an amazing opportunity: to go up to Glasgow in Scotland to attend COP26. There I interviewed a multitude of people, ranging from business executives looking to make their products more sustainable, to experts in green energy and slowing the climate crisis. I was even lucky enough to interview radio host Cel Spellman and HRH Princess Eugenie, and feature on BBC Newsround. I also attended a climate march, which included speakers such as Chris Packham and overall had a great atmosphere.

This year, I have been involved in several fundraising events and activities. In December, I raised over £150 for WWF at my school Christmas fair and in February, I participated in the WWF ‘Great Winter Wonder’ campaign, walking 15 miles and raising £200. I was also involved in the judging of the OVO Green Energy Award for Schools, where I joined a panel of judges to determine which applicant from all over the UK was the most environmentally friendly and conscious. I now currently working on a YouTube channel to further promote action amongst fellow young people.
Becoming a Youth Ambassador has been an amazing opportunity, allowing me to be more involved in helping to highlight the issues facing the environment to young people and how we can all help.