The Wild Haven Project CIC is a community-led organisation rooted in the belief that caring for nature and caring for people are intrinsically connected. The project recognises a powerful symbiosis between stewardship of the natural environment and the wellbeing of those who engage with it: as participants actively improve woodland spaces through meaningful, hands-on work, they simultaneously strengthen their own mental health, resilience, confidence, and sense of purpose. Through traditional woodland skills, environmental stewardship, and inclusive outdoor learning, The Wild Haven Project creates safe, supportive spaces where people can thrive alongside the natural world.

Our Youth Haven is a weekly Saturday woodland programme delivered as part of this wider mission, supporting children and young people from deprived communities. The programme removes barriers to participation by providing safe and supported minibus transport, collecting young people directly from their community and taking them to our woodland base at Great Busby.

Each session immerses participants in a calm, natural environment that offers space, freedom, and positive experiences often unavailable in their everyday surroundings. Sessions include hands-on woodland management, traditional woodland and bushcraft skills, outdoor cooking over open fire, and nature identification.

Central to the Youth Haven is the belief that young people benefit most when they are trusted with real responsibility and agency. Participants take an active role in improving the woodland through biodiversity and stewardship projects such as habitat creation and sustainable land management. As they care for and enhance the natural environment, they develop confidence, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience. This reciprocal relationship, where young people nurture the land and the land supports their wellbeing, sits at the heart of Youth Haven.

As participants grow in confidence and maturity, the Youth Haven offers clear progression opportunities. Older participants are encouraged to volunteer and support younger groups, using their lived experience to act as positive role models. This pathway fosters leadership, aspiration, and community pride, embedding long-term stewardship of both people and place.

Crucially, the woodland community created through the Youth Haven plays an active role in shaping the direction of the programme itself. Young people are encouraged to share ideas, influence activities, and take ownership of the space and the Haven. Over time, it is hoped that older participants will become the future leaders of Youth Haven, guiding younger groups, modelling positive behaviours, and sustaining a community-led culture rooted in care for both people and the natural environment.

Looking ahead, the Youth Haven is intended to be a scalable, place-based model that can be sensitively applied to other natural spaces over time. By nurturing strong woodland communities, developing young leaders, and embedding stewardship at the heart of delivery, the approach can be adapted to different landscapes while remaining rooted in the same core values. In this way, The Youth Haven aims to support both people and places beyond a single site, creating a network of Havens where young people and natural environments grow stronger together.