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Waterways Action Squad

The Waterways Trust is working closely with British Waterways on an exciting new project, the Waterways Action Squad. Funded by v, the national charity for youth volunteering and the Bank of America, the project aims to encourage young people aged 16-25 to get involved in the care and promotion of canals and rivers in the North West.

The Waterways Action Squad is being officially launched with an Open Day on Sunday 25 October 2009 at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port. The event will feature bands on barges, street artists, wildlife walks, children’s activities, volunteering demonstrations and the launch of a photography competition for 16 to 25 year olds. To find out more about the event contact Emma Wright on 0151 3734392 or email emma.wright@thewaterwaystrust.co.uk

Over 570 volunteering opportunities will be created throughout the project, forming a diverse programme of activities and enabling the young people involved to develop a wide range of practical and life skills. The activities will range from one-off taster sessions to part-time activities and full-time placements. Specific tasks and projects will be developed in consultation with young people themselves but ideas for some of the activities that may be delivered include:

Practical tasks - scrub-clearance, hedge-laying, habitat improvement, towpath improvements, canal clean-ups and conservation of historic structures;
Monitoring & surveying - wildlife surveys and heritage cataloguing;
Customer service: boat skippering, towpath ranger schemes, front of house duties, walking guides; and
Interpretation & promotion: organising events and activities at key sites, volunteer site guides and development of web-based visitor information.

Every young person who takes part in any activity will receive nationally recognised certification in the form of the v Awards and will also have the chance to work towards more formal accreditation such as the ASDAN accredited Youth Achievement Awards. Both the v Awards and YAAs are widely recognised by universities and employers, so make a great addition to CVs and job applications and are a great topic of conversation in interviews.

There will also be opportunities for young people with a particular interest to contribute more widely to increasing youth engagement on the North West's waterways by becoming a Waterways Action Ambassador. The Ambassadors will work alongside the team to help shape all aspects of the project's development from media and IT to admin, public relations, marketing, recruitment, event planning and budgeting.

For more information on how to get involved please contact Lucie Unsworth, Project Manager on 0151 373 4375 or email lucie.unsworth@thewaterwaystrust.co.uk