What can BTO Youth do for you?

Free events

We run lots of events every year, and most of these are organised and run by our Youth Representatives or Youth Advisory Panel. BTO Youth events will always be free. 

• Guided walks and talks, which you can find on our current events page
• Our annual Bird Camps
• The Youth in Nature Summit
• Our Young Leaders Course

Funding for equipment and volunteering

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Birdwatching can be expensive, and we don’t think cost should be a barrier to young people.

That’s why we offer:

• The Young Bird Observatory Volunteer programme: up to £250 for young people doing work experience at Bird Observatories.
• The Equipment Donation Scheme, which donates second-hand equipment like scopes and binoculars to young people and schools who don’t have access to their own.

Work experience

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If you are interested in a career in conservation or ornithology, doing work experience at BTO can be a great fit for you.

We offer a one-week programme several times a year, for young people currently studying for their GCSEs or A-levels, aged 11 and up. If you are interested, you can find out more information and apply through our Work Experience Pack. You can also email youth [at] bto.org with any questions you might have.

Work experience for 2024 is now fully booked and we are not able to accept any more applications. We will update this webpage with information for the 2025 work experience programme in due course.

"Overall the programme is amazing. I enjoyed going out to see a Buzzard and the walk across the Nunnery Lakes the most. But writing the scientific journal was also interesting because of all the new information I learned. Thank you everyone for making my time at BTO awesome!"

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer places to everyone who contacts us, but we will reply to all enquiries.

Previous issues of BTO Journal of Work Experience

• BTO Journal of Work Experience Vol. 2.

• BTO Journal of Work Experience Vol. 1.

Resources and learning

We have a whole host of resources available online for you to keep learning and developing your connection with nature and birds, as well as to help you better understand what BTO Youth does.

• Read about how other young people experience and access nature on our BTO Youth Blog.
• Watch our online video series Birding 101 and Nature Natters on YouTube.
• See the results of the BTO Youth survey conducted in 2020 to learn more about how we can help young people.

Strategy, conduct and safeguarding

At BTO Youth, keeping young people safe and empowering their voices is at the core of all we do.

The BTO Youth Engagement Strategy 2023–2028 is written and implemented by the Youth Advisory Panel. The Strategy focuses on our values and how we will make sure everything we do is guided by them.

Our safeguarding policy and Code of Conduct help us keep children, young people and staff safe and we expect anyone interacting with BTO Youth to abide by these documents.