Join our Summer of Nature Recovery to experience a packed programme of talks, courses, presentations, workshops, practical tasks, surveys and field trips, and experience of nature recovery and rewilding in the UK. Staying in a beautiful part of South Devon in a community of like-minded others.
The Summer of Nature Recovery provides you with a flexible means of experiencing Nature Recovery first hand, on your terms.
The summer will be full of interesting, insightful, inspiring content provided by a range of wonderful contributors. Pick a week (or 6) that suits your needs and budget, and join like-minded others in our nature hostel. Here you will enjoy passionate conversations with other members of the farm community, experience delicious wholesome shared meals or after dinner talks from people engaged in Nature Recovery projects in Devon and further afield. Or simply relax in your own private room and take a peaceful walk through our farm and rewilding site in the river Dart valley.
Alongside these drop in daily sessions, you will have the opportunity to engage with a summer programme of workshops, classes, courses, talks, events and field trip, programmed in across the summer with an aim to enrich your experience, develop your skills and deepen your knowledge to support you with your career pathway and personal objectives and offer inspiration and broaden your understanding of nature recovery in the UK. The programme includes:
Our flexible, drop in programme allows you to book a minimum of 1 to maximum of 6 weeks over your summer. Join us to engage with nature recovery first hand!
The summer of nature recovery will let you delve into different aspects of nature recovery at your pace – whether you pop in for one or two weeks, or stay the full length. During your stay, you will gain an overview of the nature recovery movement, gain skills relevant to working in the nature sector, and improve your confidence.
You can join in on one or multiple weeks, and to get an idea of what you might see in each week we’ve given each week a general outline below:
Introduction to nature recovery
Landscapes and rivers
Nature
Wildlife
Our place in nature
Know nature better
This programme will include a rich blend of contributions from different guest experts, talks from people dedicating their lives to nature recovery, trips to inspirational sites in the local area, and practical nature tasks, giving you a chance to apply your recently acquired knowledge.
Your experience will include a series of inspirational talks, courses, presentations, and workshops around ecology and nature recovery. Some will explore key wildlife groups such as birds, butterflies, and botany, others will explore deep ecology and cover themes such as indigenous culture, nature connection, wild medicines, nature/culture collaborations, wild diets, and food provenance. Each week will be different, so depending which week or weeks you book, you’ll get a unique experience.
Working on the farm and time spent with like-minded others will be a large part of the experience; harvesting vegetables from the organic garden, creating shared meals, caring for our organic livestock, enjoying conversations around the evening dinner table – knowing that the common thread is that you all care about the natural world.
You will spend time in the stunning River Dart Valley gaining practical and applied field skills. This is a chance to spend quality time outside in a pristine rural landscape and use your body in good practical ways, whilst also invigorating yourself with an inspiring dive into the natural world.
The programme of work and learning is formatted into a weekly schedule around the running of the farm. This will include farm and community living tasks, field trips, livestock handling, practical work, and dynamic learning experiences. We share our farm and work in partnership with United Response, a charity dedicated to supporting adults with learning difficulties.
There is a buzz in the summer months and your evenings will often be full, either with programmed activities or plans made with your colleagues, enjoying the facilities of the farm centre and local area. This could include occasional events on a theme or topic, invitational guest speakers, nature immersions such as star gazing, evening bat/bird/moth walks, food evenings/woodland pizza nights, a trip to the local country pub, or a dusk canoe trip.
Field trips will take you to some of the ecological jewels that we have Devon. Some experiences will explore the local landscape of the River Dart and Dartmoor national park. Others might be to other rewilding/reintroduction sites across Devon through our links with the Devon Rewilding Network.
Your experience will be facilitated by key members of the Ambios team, who will hold the space and offer onward signposting to support you in your own journey to nature recovery. Whereas your experience will be shared with others, it will be unique to you; fireside conversations and circle time will allow a deeper reflection as to your own nature recovery experience, and where it may lead you next.
The summer of nature recovery is for anyone that cares about the natural world and would like an introduction into aspects of ecology. This might be a new world to you and you are just starting on your exploration. It is for those looking for an experience in nature, spent with others, learning and working meaningfully towards positive outcomes for nature.
The desire to do this could be initiated from a need to do something rewarding and enlivening; a desire to take a step in the direction of a career change but just not quite sure where to start; a need to connect with yourself and the land whilst being practical, around like-minded others, engaged in projects which are working towards nature recovery.
Current students looking for summer holiday experience & recent graduates looking for practical experience, to develop your CV. Employers are often looking for a demonstration of the skills you have beyond the academic learning of university. This summer placement is flexible experience where you can demonstrate work experience and gain an insight into what might inspire you.
This might just be the first spark you need to see that the skills you already have can be applied in a role that is working more positively towards the natural world.
International students looking for a rewarding learning experience in a different country, gaining language and cultural immersions, whilst doing something beneficial.
This is a flexible experience, a chance to get away from your day-to-day life. Summer placements are more than a holiday, different to a retreat, and offer a chance to learn, to apply yourself, and to gain skills which can greatly improve your outlook and prospects.
Complete the short sign-up form. Please then email us at farm@ambios.net to let us know when you have completed it.
You will receive an email from us with a payment link. Making the payment will confirm your spot.
We will send you the pre-course & arrival information a month before the start date.
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