Monday 24 June 2019

My 5 top birding hotspots for Wonderlust


Being asked to write a piece for Wonderlist - The Original Travel Magazine - was really exciting!

My article was about my top 5 birding hotspots - the fantastic places where you can see lots of different bird species. It was hard to choose 5, but here it is:

https://bit.ly/2ZNdhPV



Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig, USA
Copyright Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig, USA
Copyright Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig, USA
Copyright Mya-Rose Craig




Copyright Mya-Rose Craig



About the Author






 Young environmentalist and birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig 



Mya-Rose Craig is a 17-year-old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes posts about birding, conservation and environmental issues from around the world. 

She has been involved in the UK organisation of the Youth Strikes encouraging young people from around the world to not go to school once a month and protest instead demanding immediate action to prevent climate breakdown. This is an interview in New Statesman.

She was a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer-songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people

She organised four nature is helping to run four more in 2019. She also organised a conference, Race Equality in Nature, in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature and plans two more in 2019. She has also set up Black2Nature with the aim of working with organisations to increase the access to nature of Visible Minority Ethnic people and is President. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig) so that she can invite you to join the Race Equality in Nature LinkedIn Group and be part of the change. 

She has given over 50 talks, speaking at conferences such as being on a panel with George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas on Sustainability and the Future of Cities. She is a Minister in Chris Packham's Manifesto for Nature in 2018 and spoke in front of 10,000 people at the Walk for Nature. She has also appeared on TV and radio and is particularly proud of being in Silent Roars, a short film which was part of Listen to Britain 2017 https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-silent-roars-2017-online


She has been awarded the Bath and West Show Environmental Youth Award 2017 for Bristol for her Black2Nature work EYA 2017. She was also listed as one of Bristol's BME top 100 powerlist.


She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. She became the youngest person to see 5000 birds in 2019 age 16 and is looking forward to visiting Brazil birding in 2019 and hopes to see half the birds in the world there. Please also like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter. If you would like to contact Mya-Rose about her work, please e-mail helenabcraig@hotmail.co.uk.



Monday 10 June 2019

Chatting to Lush




 Young environmentalist and birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig
Copyright The Sound Approach




I am really really pleased to be on Lush Player with Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig's Podcast which I am particularly excited about as Lush is my favourite shop and perfect for me as  teen vegetarian/almost vegan, environmentally friendly, low impact products that actually work and smell great to. Also, Lush is a Bristolian slang word which mean lovely or gorgeous. If you Add Gert to make it "Gert Lush" that adds "very". So Mark Constantine, if you ever read this, I'd love to be a Lush Ambassador!


This is a podcast that I originaly did for Charlie Moores which was published on The Sound Approach (TSA) podcast. I am talking about birding in the UK, world birding, Race Equality in Nature, racism, twitter trolls and being President of Black2Nature.

This is a areally interesting article on the Lush Website called The cost of beauty: Why inclusivity isn't just about shades foundation


About the Author





 Young environmentalist and birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig 



Mya-Rose Craig is a 17-year-old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes posts about birding, conservation and environmental issues from around the world. 

She has been involved in the UK organisation of the Youth Strikes encouraging young people from around the world to not go to school once a month and protest instead demanding immediate action to prevent climate breakdown. This is an interview in New Statesman.

She was a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer-songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people

She organised four nature is helping to run four more in 2019. She also organised a conference, Race Equality in Nature, in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature and plans two more in 2019. She has also set up Black2Nature with the aim of working with organisations to increase the access to nature of Visible Minority Ethnic people and is President. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig) so that she can invite you to join the Race Equality in Nature LinkedIn Group and be part of the change. 

She has given over 50 talks, speaking at conferences such as being on a panel with George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas on Sustainability and the Future of Cities. She is a Minister in Chris Packham's Manifesto for Nature in 2018 and spoke in front of 10,000 people at the Walk for Nature. She has also appeared on TV and radio and is particularly proud of being in Silent Roars, a short film which was part of Listen to Britain 2017 https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-silent-roars-2017-online


She has been awarded the Bath and West Show Environmental Youth Award 2017 for Bristol for her Black2Nature work EYA 2017. She was also listed as one of Bristol's BME top 100 powerlist.


She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. She became the youngest person to see 5000 birds in 2019 age 16 and is looking forward to visiting Brazil birding in 2019 and hopes to see half the birds in the world there. Please also like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter. If you would like to contact Mya-Rose about her work, please e-mail helenabcraig@hotmail.co.uk.




Thursday 6 June 2019

Volunteering at Camp Chew 20-23 June 2019


Bio blitz
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig


Youth Worker at nature camp for teenagers from disadvantaged, VME or rural backgrounds.

We desperately need volunteers from 20-23 June 2019 at Compton Martin & Chew Valley near Bristol.



Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig
Photocopyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



Camp Avalon 2017
Photography copyright young environmentalist Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig


Volunteer tasks

By 17 June 2019 - split between volunteers
  • to prepare an Eventbrite report with contacts for children/volunteers;
  • to finalise the camp programme and e-mail to parents/volunteers;
  • to finalise a breakdown of tasks with who is responsible for what;
  • to prepare and print parent consent forms;



Camp Avalon 2017
Photocopyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



On 20 June 2019 Campsite 10 am and 6 pm 
  • to help move camping equipment from storage to the campsite;
  • to help put up 6 large tents;
  • to help set up all equipment needed for the campsite; and
  • to help do food shopping.



21 June 2019 1.00 pm to 3.30 pm 
  • to finishing setting up at the campsite.



21 June 2019 3.30 pm to 5.00 pm 


  • to travel back to Bristol with our driver; 
  • to pick up the minibus before picking up children; 
  • to ensure parents sign consent forms; 
  • to remind parents that they need to both come to pick up their children for a camp feedback session and so the children can have their free gift.



Camp Avalon 2017
Photocopyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig


21 June 2019 5.00 pm to 22 June 4.00 pm

  • to be nature volunteers engaging teens in nature activities; or
  • to work as a youth worker engaging with VME children age 7-11 year olds at our nature camp;
  • to talk to children about nature;
  • to talk to children about how going outside helps with mental health;
  • to talk to children about the need to protect the environment 
  • to talk to children about what they can do to help the environment and wildlife
  • to support nature volunteers who are providing expertise; 
  • to supervise football games
  • to help with camp cooking, supervising toasting marshmallows, washing up and tidying up, serving meals;
  • to ensure children have equipment needed for sessions; 
  • to ensure children pack up all their belonging.


To working on our camps will leave you feeling incredibly positive about the future.

Media - to take photographs and video footage, interviewing the children about their experiences at the camp, how they have benefited and about how it made them feel from a wellbeing/mental health point of view.



Camp Chew 2017
Photocopyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



22 June - 4 pm to 6.30 pm

  • to travel back in the minibus with the children;
  • to help set up a table and Gazebo outisde St Pauls' Resource Centre with literature from Time to Talk, a mental health charity;
  • to talk to parents with their children about the camp, how the children enjoyed getting outside, how it was good for their mental health and academic achievement, what the parents can do to carry on with that in terms as continuing to take their children outside and enjoy nature. 
  • to then talk to the parents about mental health in order to raise awareness of the issue;
  • to let the children have their free water bottle after these discussions have taken place;
  • to if possible, video the parents about what they feel the benefits for their children have been.




23 July 10 am to 5 pm

to taking down tents, pack up campsite and put into storage



Bioblitzing
Photocopyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig


By 28 June 2019

  • to prepare a 700-word blog post about the camp with images; 
  • to prepare a 500-word reports for Time to Change about the discussions on mental health that took place, after getting volunteer feedback.



Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig
Photocopyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig


Philosophy 

We believe that children learn best when they are leading and when outdoors. We do not organise play for them throughout. We are looking for volunteers who encourage children to take part without telling them off or leading them. We can pay travel expenses and provide lifts, but volunteers need to lift share as part of our commitment to reducing our environmental impact. We aim to have zero waste, zero plastic and so volunteers will need to collect plastic, sort rubbish, sort into recycling and discuss with children.



Qualifications needed

We do not need any specific qualifications although having a DBS Certificate would be very useful. We are ideally looking for VME volunteers who can act as role models to the VME children attending otherwise a knowledge of VME communities would be useful. However, we are happy to consider applicants who are not VME especially if they have experience of any of the following, but this is not essential and we would encourage anybody interested to apply; 



Experience that is helpful:

  • Experience and knowledge of nature activities
  • Camping eg putting up/taking down tents or camp cooking
  • Nature or conservation
  • Nature education, forest school, outdoor play or working with children
  • Photography or film-making especially in nature or wildlife
  • Mental health


Camp Chew 2017
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig




About the Author




Young environmentalist and birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig 
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig





Camp Avalon and Camp Chew are the ideas of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the first events in 2015. She is organising the 2017 camp with the organisation she has formed Black2Nature and hopes to attract more young birders and inner-city teenagers.



Mya-Rose Craig is a 16-year-old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes posts about birding, conservation and environmental issues from around the world. 




She has been involved in the UK organisation of the Youth Strikes encouraging young people from around the world to not go to school once a month and protest instead demanding immediate action to prevent climate breakdown. This is an interview in New Statesman.






She was a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer-songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people




She organised four nature camps for children and teenagers since 2015 and is helping to run four more in 2019. She also organised a conference, Race Equality in Nature, in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature and plans two more in 2019. She has also set up Black2Nature with the aim of working with organisations to increase the access to nature of Visible Minority Ethnic people and is President. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig) so that she can invite you to join the Race Equality in Nature LinkedIn Group and be part of the change. 


She has given over 50 talks, speaking at conferences such as being on a panel with George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas on Sustainability and the Future of Cities. She is a Minister in Chris Packham's Manifesto for Nature in 2018 and spoke in front of 10,000 people at the Walk for Nature. She has also appeared on TV and radio and is particularly proud of being in Silent Roars, a short film which was part of Listen to Britain 2017 https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-silent-roars-2017-online


She has been awarded the Bath and West Show Environmental Youth Award 2017 for Bristol for her Black2Nature work EYA 2017. She was also listed as one of Bristol's BME top 100 powerlist.


She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. She became the youngest person to see 5000 birds in 2019 age 16 and is looking forward to visiting Brazil birding in 2019 and hopes to see half the birds in the world there. Please also like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter. If you would like to contact Mya-Rose about her work, please e-mail helenabcraig@hotmail.co.uk.








Wednesday 5 June 2019

Camp Chew June 2019 Details



BLACK2NATURE 
CAMP CHEW

Friday 21 June 2019 to Saturday 22 June 2019


Camp Chew 2017
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig


Book onto this amazing nature camp for children aged 7-11 years. The camp is organised by Black2Nature who have been organising nature camps for inner-city Visible Minority Ethnic (VME) children and young people since 2015. The primary age children come to Camp Chew which takes place in Compton Martin in the Chew Valley just south of Bristol to spend the weekend birding and getting involved with nature. 




Camp Chew March 2019
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



It is aimed at children who have no experience of nature and in many cases have never been to the countryside or camped. One of our aims is to promote community cohesion and so we encourage children from all backgrounds and areas to attend, as well as those already with a keen interest in nature who we hope will share their passion. 



Camp Chew March 2019
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



In March 2019 most of our children were VME and/or lived in Bristol's areas of deprivation. We have plenty to help to ensure that the children are kept safe. We have a 17 seater minibus picking up from around Bristol.


Camp Chew March 2019
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig

Children may come with a friend but we can not guarantee that they can share a tent with more than one friends as the camp is committed to promoting community cohesion.

We take safety very seriously and so girls and boys sleep in separate tents with adults sleeping at the entrance, making it impossible for strangers to enter undetected. DBS checked adults will be supervising the children at all times. All food prepared at the camp is vegetarian. We may offer halal fish and chips and a vegetarian option for lunch on Saturday if this is available. Otherwise, we will be having a picnic lunch.


Camp Chew - Friday 21/06/2019




Sports at Camp Chew March 2019
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



5.00 pm Pick up St Paul's Learning Centre

5.45 pm Drop off CMAF for Chew Valley children

6.00 pm Minibus arriving at CMAF


Activities


Setting up camp 
Camp cooking
Socialising/rugby & parachute sessions
Dinner by campfire


Camp Chew - Saturday 22/06/2019




Camp Chew 2017
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig 


Camp Chew March 2019
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig



3.45 pm Pick up CMAF & finish


4.30 pm Drop off St Paul's Learning Centre 

- when parents and siblings are asked to meet and                                        share memories of the camp


Activities


Bird ringing
Mothing

Nature walk
Birdwatching from hides
Growing food at The Community Farm
Sports activities such as football/cricket
Ice-creams


Friday 21 June 2019 to Saturday 22 June 2019

Please see separate kit list & ask your children to bring only 1 small packet of veggie sweets/snacks, drop nothing & recycle everything 

Camp Chew – Programme



Friday 29th March 2019

All activities dependent on weather


6.00 pm – 7.00 pm (CMAF)
Set up camp, camp cooking, sports & time to socialize

7.00 pm – 8.00 pm (CMAF)
Dinner by the campfire & toasting marshmallows


Saturday 30th March 2019


7.45 am – 8.30 am (CMAF) Camp breakfast



8.45 am - 11.15 am (CVRS)
Bird ringing demonstration and looking at moths



11.15 am – 11.30 am (CVRS)
Refreshments 


11.45 am – 1.15 pm (CVLPS)
Farming workshop & lunch


1.30 pm – 3.15 pm (CVL)
Birdwatching in bird hides & nature walk


3.15 pm - 3.30 pm (CVLHB)
Ice-creams

3.45 pm (CMAF)
Pick up and finish 


Key to locations

CMAF – Compton Martin Amenity Field, The Street, Compton Martin, Bristol, BS40 6JN


CVRS – Chew Valley Ringing Station, Bishop Sutton, Bristol, BS40 6HN (from Herriots Bridge turnright opposite mirror)



CVLHB - Chew Valley Lake, Herriots Bridge, A368, Bishop Sutton, Bristol, BS40 8XS



CVL – Chew Valley Lake using Morton Hide accessed from the B1134, coming from CMAF turn right between the Blue Bowl and Herons Green.



Camp Chew March 2019
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig

Cost

£10.00 per person (or £15 for two siblings)


Grants

Free places are available to those children who would otherwise not be able to come for example who are from areas of deprivation, are VME or are disadvantaged. Camp Avalon recognises that there are almost no young birders from VME backgrounds and so hope that these grants will encourage disadvantaged children to be able to attend. All equipment needed will also be loaned for the weekend.


Black2Nature



Thank you to Compton Martin Village Hall and the many people who have supported Black2Nature and these camps and to Chew Valley Ringing Station and the birders who have offered their time in order to pass on their knowledge to young birders. Thank you also to Yeo Valley for the donation of ice-cream and butter.


Thank you to Opticron for the donation of five pairs of compact binoculars and discounted optical equipment to this project and to Bristol Ornithological Society for the donation of £2500 for binoculars.

Thank you also to Go Outdoors for discounted camping equipment and Blenheim Scouts for discounted use of their minibus.



Thank you also to Burns Price Foundation, Quartet Community Funding, Community Access Support Services and Alpkit for helping to fund our projects. 



Transport

Free transport is available to and from Bristol, with pickup from St Paul's Learning Centre, Grosvenor Road, Bristol BS2 8JX.



How to Book

Please book on Eventbrite or e-mail 
campavalonuk@gmail.com with your name, address, phone number and date of birth and your child's name and date of birth with any dietary requirements. Please also get in touch if you would like to get involved by volunteering.




About the Author


Young environmentalist and birder Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig 
Copyright Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig




Camp Avalon and Camp Chew are the ideas of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the first events in 2015. She is organising the 2017 camp with the organisation she has formed Black2Nature and hopes to attract more young birders and inner-city teenagers.



Mya-Rose Craig is a 16-year-old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes posts about birding, conservation and environmental issues from around the world. 



She has been involved in the UK organisation of the Youth Strikes encouraging young people from around the world to not go to school once a month and protest instead demanding immediate action to prevent climate breakdown. This is an interview in New Statesman.





She was a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer-songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people





She organised four nature camps for children and teenagers since 2015 and is helping to run four more in 2019. She also organised a conference, Race Equality in Nature, in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature and plans two more in 2019. She has also set up Black2Nature with the aim of working with organisations to increase the access to nature of Visible Minority Ethnic people and is President. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig) so that she can invite you to join the Race Equality in Nature LinkedIn Group and be part of the change. 




She has given over 50 talks, speaking at conferences such as being on a panel with George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas on Sustainability and the Future of Cities. She is a Minister in Chris Packham's Manifesto for Nature in 2018 and spoke in front of 10,000 people at the Walk for Nature. She has also appeared on TV and radio and is particularly proud of being in Silent Roars, a short film which was part of Listen to Britain 2017 https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-silent-roars-2017-online


She has been awarded the Bath and West Show Environmental Youth Award 2017 for Bristol for her Black2Nature work EYA 2017. She was also listed as one of Bristol's BME top 100 powerlist.


She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. She became the youngest person to see 5000 birds in 2019 age 16 and is looking forward to visiting Brazil birding in 2019 and hopes to see half the birds in the world there. Please also like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter. If you would like to contact Mya-Rose about her work, please e-mail helenabcraig@hotmail.co.uk.