Youth Pathways

The Youth Pathways Project, is part of the Two Moors Pine Marten Project and provides exciting opportunities for young people (13-25) from harder to reach audiences to make a positive difference in the natural world.

For many of our young people, the barriers to accessing the beauty of Devon’s wild spaces can seem insurmountable, leading to a growing disconnect. 

To address this, Devon Wildlife Trust has teamed up with our Pine Marten project partners at Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor National Park, Forestry England, Somerset Wildlife Trust and the National Trust and is working directly with two amazing youth partners, Young Devon and SPACE Youth Service. 

We’re helping young people get involved and have an opportunity to be a part of conservation projects in some of Devon’s most beautiful wild spaces. 

Watch a group of young people exploring and tracking pine martens on Exmoor:

Youth Pathways has four steps 

1. Introduction session – our Youth Pathways Officer, Adrian visits the groups of young people to tell them about our woodlands and pine martens and invites them to a taster day.
2. Taster day - fun, short and snappy introductions to being in nature where the young people can choose their activity. Transport, food and clothing are provided, helping overcome initial barriers to access nature.
3. Volunteering – the young people choose if and how they would like to take action and make a difference for nature. For example, a group interested in technology installed camera traps on Dartmoor and Exmoor in 2025. The project also provides residential opportunities across both moors to stay overnight and volunteer. Over 60 young people have already volunteered and for many of them, this is the first time they have done anything like this.
4. Traineeships - The pathway provides fully funded traineeships to work with us and our partners, gaining relevant experience across the sector whilst receiving a bursary. In 2025/2026, two young people were offered this is truly life changing opportunity. You can read about Jack's experience here.

Additionally, Youth Pathways have recruited ten Youth Mentors, a fantastic bunch of adult volunteers who come along to support the project. Further training has been provided by SPACE to adults in Devon to help them engage young people in their projects. 

Hear from our Young Volunteers

Edward - “What I liked about the taster day is that it taught people in the city and young people basic survival skills, which in my opinion is very important. I also found it very enjoyable, on the walk people were communicating together instead of being on their phones.”

Emma - “I had never seen a Kelly Kettle [a portable outdoor stove] before, and I was proud we worked well as a team to start a fire.”

Krystal - “We went to Exmoor. The view from the bus was amazing. We could see the ocean that joins Wales. The sky was clear, and it felt unbelievable, cold like a wave of frostbite. We were taught how to use a tracker to track pine martens, and we used our skills to discover a model of a pine marten which had been hidden for us to try and find. I enjoyed learning new skills like how to use a compass. The walk was a challenge and good exercise. Even though it was steep, the view from on top of the hill was so satisfying and made you feel like you were in heaven. I overcame being tired to achieve my steps on this day and after all that time walking, I felt incredible in myself because even when I thought I couldn’t do it, I still did it!”

Erin - “I enjoyed spending time with my friends and solving problems such as tying tricky knots. The social aspect of the residential was brilliant bringing us together as a community. Seeing the results of the camera traps afterwards was such a dopamine boost as we could see what we helped with and all the cool animals.”

Jack - “I started my journey with an opportunity to do a tree planting session in the Teign Valley. This was introduced to me by Adrian who encouraged me to apply for the Youth Pathways traineeship. I have really enjoyed my experience and have even written my own blog about my journey so far."

It's brilliant to see how the young people are engaging with the Youth Pathways Project, throwing themselves into the activities, learning new skills and making a positive difference in the natural world.

If you have any enquires about the Youth Pathways Project and work with our Youth Partners please contact Adrian. 

Thanks to them

The Two Moors Pine Marten Project and its Youth Pathways initiative have been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and The Norman Family Trust.

Young Devon and SPACE Youth Services are Devon-based youth charities who have given their time and expertise to the Youth Pathways project.

The Two Moors Pine Marten Project is led by Devon Wildlife Trust and is a partnership between seven conservation organisations: Dartmoor National Park Authority, Devon Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, Forestry England, National Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Woodland Trust.