Youth Forum at Westonbirt Arboretum Q and A

I’m interested, but I have never been part of a forum before – does that matter? 

No! We will be providing training and support to all forum members so that they can play an active role in the group. We have never run a forum like this one before – so we are keen to learn from you as well. 

Do I have to be a tree expert or massively into nature to take part? 

No! We are looking to ensure our forum is representative of the full range of young peoples’ interests – and we know that not all young people are that into nature (yet!) It is essential that we hear all perspectives – otherwise there is a danger that we just end up preaching to the converted. We want to be challenged and to have discussions on topics that are meaningful to young people. 

It is also important to say that Westonbirt is far more than a magnificent tree collection. We are also an award-winning tourist destination that runs huge events, welcoming well over half a million visitors per year. We have a fantastic partner in the Friends of Westonbirt Charity who look after over 38,000 members. And as part of the wider botanic gardens community and Forestry Commission we have partners across the sector. As such we have expertise in areas beyond tree management – such as marketing, learning, communications, visitor services, sustainability, project management, heritage, wildlife management, research and conservation. 

What happens if I can’t make meetings or sessions? 

We understand that young people have a lot of different pulls on their time. As such we realise that you may have to miss the odd session. If a situation arises and you can’t make a session or you find you must scale back your involvement for a little while – the first thing to say is don’t worry, let us know – ideally as early as possible so we can make alternative plans. 

How long do I need to commit to? 

We ask that young people will sign-up for a minimum of 2 years and that each year they attend at least four online and four onsite sessions – this is to enable continuity of the forum, ensure we don’t overload one or two members with actions and so that we can deliver projects with / for young people. Again, we appreciate that life happens, and it may be that you need to stop before your 2 years is complete – or indeed that you find the forum isn’t quite right for you. Again – please don’t worry, we can agree a way forward if that happens.  

I love it so much – can I stay on the forum for more than two years? 

Yes! Young people can apply to remain on the forum for a further two years after their initial two-years if they are still within the stated age bracket (17-25). 

What happens if I don’t have the right IT equipment to access online sessions? 

We plan to loan all members of the forum, that need it, with their own tablet/laptop so that they can always access online sessions. Our plan will be to set-up a special youth forum Teams channel which we will invite young people to join as guests. This will allow us to share / store and work on documents together and have our meetings. 

What happens if I can’t afford to travel to Westonbirt? 

We will be supporting the travel costs for young people to get to Westonbirt for onsite sessions. 

What happens if I have a disability? 

We actively welcome young people with a disability to join us as it is vitally important that our forum is as diverse as possible so that it brings together people with the full range of experiences. As such we would very much welcome discussions with you about what adjustments we may need to put in place to accommodate your particular needs and interests. 

What happens if I don’t get on with everyone? 

Obviously, we hope that all members will get along. However, as in everyday life, there may be occasions where we have disagreements or differences of opinion. We want to create as diverse a forum of young people as possible – so this means that we welcome difference. And we want young people to be themselves and be honest with us and each other. The key is that we are respectful of all members. As such young people on the forum will review and develop their own code of conduct based around our Forestry England values, which all members (including the staff involved) will be bound by.  

If issues were to arise then we would look to resolve them amicably through dialogue and mediation. In addition to the learning and participation staff who will facilitate the forum each young person will have their own staff mentor who will be able to discuss any concerns confidentially.  

Will Forestry England do everything the forum asks?  

While we will of course listen to all the ideas the forum has – and where feasible implement and/or action where we can, it is important that young people understand that we may not be able to do everything they want. Indeed, we believe that this honesty is an essential part of the forum and reflects the difficult decisions we often must make – both in work and in our personal lives. This could be because of resource issues (sadly we don’t have a magic money tree), the need to balance different priorities or because as a government organisation there are things we’re simply not allowed to do.  

Our commitment to the forum is that we will always listen to your ideas, act where we can and if we can’t act, we will respond in a meaningful way, explaining where we can’t fulfil a request and why.