birdgirl: Black Asian Ethnic Minorities in nature

Showing posts with label Black Asian Ethnic Minorities in nature. Show all posts

Friday, 30 June 2017

Cultures of Nature and Wellbeing Conference with Bristol Festival of Nature on 13 June 2017

On Tuesday 13 June 2017 at the Watershed in Bristol, I was a speaker in a panel at a one-day conference organised by Bath Spa University with The Bristol Festival of Nature.

I spoke about Camp Avalon, Race Equality in Nature Conference, Black2Nature and encouraging Black Asian Minority Ethnic people out into nature and engaging.

Afterwards, we answered questions as a panel which was the first time I had done that formally, which I really enjoyed.

This is their blog post about the event http://bit.ly/2sZbuvf

It was really amazing to get so much positive feedback and someone approached my mum a couple of days later at an event to hear that my talk was spot on and in their opinion the best of the day!

Young birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig at Watershed
Copyright Mya-Rose Craig

About the Author

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig in Antarctica
Photograph copyright Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 15-year-old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose 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 is an Ambassador for World Shorebirds Day, See It Her Way and a Charter Champion for The Charter for Woods, Trees and People. She organised a conference, Race Equality in Nature, in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature and plans to run her third Camp Avalon camp in 2017. She has also set up Black2Nature with the aim of working with organisations to increase the access to nature of Black Asian Minority Ethnic people. 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 been awarded the Bath and West Show Environmental Youth Award 2017 for Bristol for her Black2Nature work EYA 2017. Please also like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter.

Saturday, 10 June 2017

Film-making Workshop using the outdoors

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig's Camp Avalon 15

Birdigirl Mya-Rose Craig filming for BBC4

I have organised with Black2Nature, in partnership with BBC Natural History Unit, Icon Films and young film-maker Paul Collins an exciting film-making workshop with the focus on group work and outdoor filming. It is aimed at young people aged 11 years - 19 years with priority to those living in areas of deprivation or of a minority ethnic background. The event takes part at Eastville Park in inner city Bristol on 21st June 2017, 4.30 pm to 7.30pm.

BirdigirlMya-Rose Craig filming for BBC4

We will cover:

(1) Discussion: What makes a good story?

(2) Discussion: What is the story? - Subject, Setting, Behaviour

(3) In Groups: What is the story? - choose a subject; a story with a beginning/middle/end; interesting behaviour.

(4) Discussion: Storyboarding - i.e. how to tell the story visually... Basics of composition; shot sizes (close-up v wide) and what these mean for the story.

(5) In Groups: Storyboarding - drawing a sequence; understanding what shots they need to get to tell the story; thinking about story structure.

Once each group has a storyboard, given instruction on how to use the camcorders and filming in groups.

Review of filming and instructions for home editing task.

All participants will receive a certificate for the workshop. It is hoped that the workshop will help young people from less affluent backgrounds to get started on a career in nature film-making as well as sparking and interest in the outdoors. Bristol makes 80% of the world's nature and wildlife films.

BirdigirlMya-Rose Craig filming for BBC4

About the Author

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig in Antarctica
Photograph copyright Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Friday, 10 June 2016

Birdgirl's 30 Days Wild, Day 10 - for diverse communities

This month is 30 Days Wild 2016, an initiative of The Wildlife Trusts who say "This June, can you do something wild each day for a month?"

What they are saying is that nature is everywhere, so by looking for it through your normal day, you should start to notice it and enjoy it more.

They say that they don't want you to give anything up for June, just give yourself time in the wild with your family, to reconnect with nature. 26,000 people have already signed up, but it would be great if you signed up to taking part at http://bit.ly/1WZnYKW.

So, for my 30 Days Wild, I have decided to connect with nature each day in a different way, that could feel relevant to Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities or People of Colour (POC) in the USA and be practical if you live in an inner city area. Things that BAME people can identify with and so might find it easier to try. Not just young people, but BAME people of all ages.

For day ten, I took photos of my niece Laila enjoying and feeling the rain. At first she complained (I know I'm a mean aunt, but then she really liked the rebellion of it all).

My Mum has told me about visiting Bangladesh for the first time over the summer of 1977, when she had her 8th birthday. I have been there quite a few times but never in the heat of the summer.

My Mum told me that it was really hot and humid and that many relatives didn't have electricity and so no fans. Lots of houses had corrugated roofs, patched up after the civil war. It was unbearably hot, especially as she had never left the UK before.

It was the monsoon season and so in between the days of sweltering heat, there would be sudden thunderstorms, when the warm rain was so heavy the roads would get flooded immediately.

As soon as the rain started, all the children, rich and poor would run outside to feel the rain and enjoy the coolness as it soaked them through.

So part of today's 30 Days Wild, is to tell that story and connect my generation with those who live back "home".

Summer rain

A summer storm

Summer downpour

My niece in the summer downpour

My niece loving the summer downpour

About the Writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 14 year old young British Bangladesh birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose 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. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

Thursday, 9 June 2016

Birdgirl's 30 Days Wild, Day 9 - For diverse communities

This month is 30 Days Wild 2016, an initiative of The Wildlife Trusts who say "This June, can you do something wild each day for a month?"

What they are saying is that nature is everywhere, so by looking for it through your normal day, you should start to notice it and enjoy it more.

For day nine, I went outside into my garden. It would be great if you could go out to a local park or green space with your friends or family. I went today, but you can go at the weekend. Play cricket or rounders or just mess about. Enjoy hearing the laughter of the people you are with especially any children. Remember what that joy sounds like and feels like. Make sure you don't leave it so long before doing it again.