Green Champions

Who are Green Champions?

We’ll be bold and say – you! If you are here reading this then there is every chance you are already what we think of as a Green Champion. Green Champions are people who work as volunteers in their local green spaces with their communities, running Friends Groups, or helping out as part of a Friends Group, coordinating planting and conservation activities or litter picks, leading walks, organising activities and community events in green spaces, running gardening, photography or art workshops, Tree Wardens, tree planters, eco warriors or tea makers, the list is very long.

More than organisers or joiners in, they are catalysts for change, story-tellers and community connectors, their role is to get more people outdoors, and bring the outdoors to everyone, connect people to their green spaces and to each other.

Together they aim to tackle the climate & ecological crises by reconnecting people in cities to nature – to grow a Bolder Greener Birmingham that is cleaner, healthier and wilder.

We want to help build and support a network of Green Champions across Birmingham. We will support them to look for opportunities to, promote healthy activities and help nature recover in their neighbourhood. To help collect and spread good ideas to improve access to green and blue space and inspire their community to get outside to explore and have fun and celebrate their achievements!

What do we mean by volunteer?

Wikipedia definition of volunteering

“Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve the quality of life of humans or animals, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be considered self-serving. Volunteerism is the act of selflessly giving your life to something you believe free of pay.”

Government definition of volunteer

For the purposes of volunteering policies, the Cabinet Office defines volunteering and volunteering opportunities as: “Any non-compulsory activity which involves spending time, unpaid, doing something which is of benefit to others (excluding relatives), society or the environment.” Phil Hope, Minister of the Third Sector (15th October 2007)

As defined by the individual

“One of my definitions of volunteering is doing more than you have to – because you want to – in a cause you consider good.” – Ivan Scheier – Guerrilla Goodness

What is – The Green Champion Programme?

The purpose of the Green Champion programme is to: “Provide opportunities for all Birmingham citizens to be involved with the delivery of the city of nature plan.“

All the definitions of volunteering include elements of who we think a Green Champion is, but it is perhaps that last one that best describes the scope of Green Champion volunteers: “Doing more than you have to – because you want to – in a cause you consider good”.

This is because not all our Green Champions are strictly volunteers in the traditional sense. An example of this would be a Public Health officer arranging a nature walk for colleagues in their lunch break, or a teacher taking part in “Outdoor Classroom Day”, in these examples people do get paid to their job, but they are doing extra that they don’t have to simply because they want to and are benefitting the environment and others by doing so.

The model for volunteering being delivered through the Green Champion programme does include the more traditional forms of volunteering including individuals taking part in Park Ranger led action groups or constituted Friends of Parks / Green Space Groups and other community groups and corporate organisations working in green spaces. But it also goes further to look at “visiteering” opportunities (doing a bit of volunteering even when you are just visiting somewhere), “plogging” (picking [litter] and jogging) it recognises community food growing and gardening projects, improving school and business green spaces, and supporting roles in marketing, data, storytelling, etc. It’s as simple as this if you are helping to deliver the City of Nature actions by doing more than you have to – just because you want to then you are a Green Champion.

So what can we do to support you as a Green Champion in your community?

We asked people who have been volunteering in green spaces for years and people who have never volunteered before what we could do to support or encourage them. Over the two years of the Future Parks Project we have been consulting across communities, people often said: “We love what we do but we could do so much more if only you [that’s us] would …”

Help us do what we want to do
Keep in touch
Promote activities
Provide free training
Bring people together
Celebrate achievements

We already have fantastic organisations in Birmingham who support volunteering through groups and memberships and they are doing amazing work! But we know there are people who want to help but aren’t part of a group, yet. Or perhaps you want to be involved in activities outside your group or learn new skills to help others in different ways like social prescribing, social media, citizen science. Or you have skills that can help other organisations or other groups that you want to share. So we have created a single point of contact for you to find out more – a Green Champion Coordinator role based in the BCC Parks Service.

Meet our Green Champion Coordinator

Hi, my name is Jackie I have recently been appointed as a Green Champion Co-Ordinator for Parks . The purpose of the Green Champion Programme is to provide opportunities for all Birmingham citizens to be involved with the delivery of the City Of Nature Plan.

The role of a Green Champion goes beyond these boundaries and recognises that community growing and gardening and school and business green spaces are also areas that people may wish to develop, which not only helps with personal wellbeing but social cohesion as well.

The Green Champion Programme is open to absolutely everyone and it is important to engage with people from all backgrounds, it can involve as much time as you wish and can be on an individual or as a joined up approach with likeminded individuals or groups.

Please get in touch

If you would like to sign up to receive the monthly Green Champion newsletter please click on the link to complete the form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Z86aaeTSzUuzA9K74rm78V70AIGKV6FNs4wsCbqUZOJUOTNRMEJTVEo0MDRYSkNZNkVGM1JBOUtEWi4u

Or join our online conversations: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/534811865687

If you have a question to ask or would like to find out more you can email Jackie on: Cityofnature@birmingham.gov.uk