How a Youth Group Became a community

A few days ago, Adela, one of the girls from the AlbNatyra youth group, showed us her memory book. Between pages filled with drawings, notes, and personal reflections, she had dedicated a few pages to AlbNatyra. She wrote about the people she met, the activities she joined, the trips, the laughter, and the memories she created during her time with the group.

It was a simple moment, but one with a deep impact.

Sometimes, when working on community projects, especially with young people, it is difficult to measure impact. Reports, meetings, and activities can easily make you focus only on numbers and timelines. But seeing AlbNatyra become part of a young person’s personal memories reminded us why this work matters so much.

For the past four years, with the support of PONT, we have continuously worked with young people from the communities around Shebenik National Park. What started as a small youth engagement initiative slowly became something much bigger: a safe and motivating space where young people could learn, explore nature, discuss environmental challenges, and grow together.

Throughout these years, the group has participated in hiking expeditions, biodiversity monitoring activities, educational workshops, summer schools, clean-up actions, meetings with scientists and park specialists, creative projects, and many informal gatherings where friendships and ideas naturally developed.

The impact of these experiences cannot always be measured immediately. Environmental education is often like planting a seed. You may not see the results right away, but with time, care, and consistency, that seed grows into something meaningful.

This is exactly how we now see our youth group, the “Friends of Shebenik National Park”.

Many of the young people who first joined the activities were shy and unsure. Some had never spent much time exploring the protected areas surrounding their cities or villages. Others had little confidence in speaking publicly or taking initiative. Over time, we saw them change. They became more curious, more responsible, and more connected to nature and to their community.

Today, several of them actively propose new ideas, help organise activities, guide younger participants, and take ownership of initiatives themselves. AlbNatyra has slowly become a hub that belongs not only to the organisation, but also to the youth who helped shape it.

One of the most valuable lessons we learned is that young people do not need perfect conditions to create change. What they need is space, trust, and the feeling that their voice matters.

In regions surrounding protected areas like Shebenik National Park, this becomes even more important. Many young people grow up in communities facing migration, limited opportunities, and social isolation, and even though they are surrounded by nature, they are not always fully connected to it. Environmental education and youth engagement are not only about conservation; they are also about belonging, confidence, and creating a stronger connection between people and their landscape.

We believe that when a young person learns to care about nature, they also begin to care more deeply about their community and their future.

Looking back at these four years, we realise that the most important results are not only the activities themselves, but also the relationships, memories, and sense of responsibility that have grown from them. These young people will form the communities of tomorrow, and by leaving a positive mark in their hearts, we hope they will contribute to a better future.

The pages in that memory book may seem like a small gesture, but for us they represented something much larger: proof that these experiences truly stay with people.

And perhaps that is the real impact of this work.

Not simply organising activities, but helping create a generation of young people who feel connected, capable, and responsible for the environment around them.

We are grateful to PONT support for believing in this journey and for supporting the continuation of these activities over the years. The work is still ongoing, and the challenges remain, but so does the motivation.

Because every conversation, every hike, every campfire discussion, and every shared experience may become a seed that grows far beyond what we can see today.

By: “AlbNatyra”