Young Darwin Scholarship

Camps from our programme of residentials for young people:

• Biology Camp
• Conservation and Biodiversity with John Muir
• Conservation Camp 
• Ecology Camp
• Geography and Geology Camp
• Geography Camp
• Geology Camp
• Marine Science Camp
• Snorkelling for Marine Biology

(All camps take place on multiple dates at different Field Studies Council locations, please refer to individual product pages for details).

• Conservation with John Muir Award residential
• Ecology and Conservation in London Parks (non-residential)
• Green Skills Camp residential (multiple dates and locations)

5 day residential courses, Monday to Friday

Cost to scholar: £95

With a range of residential courses available from Conservation Camp to Marine Science Camp, Scholars can choose the camp that aligns most with their interests.

Our residentials give you the chance to develop a range of transferable skills. These types of skills help across many areas of life and are particularly good for including in education or job applications!

5 day residential course, Monday to Friday

Cost to scholar: £95

Sessions during Conservation Camp might include learning about the local wildlife, experiencing flora and fauna on a spectacular walk, taking part in a local conservation project, and trying out a range of bushcraft skills in nearby woodland.

It is ideal for young people looking to get first-hand experience of conservation in action.

5 consecutive days

Cost to scholar: £45

This day series brings participants to various locations across Greater London, where they gain practical, observational and recording skills through a series of activities that help with wildlife and habitat conservation.

Please note that this opportunity does not have a residential option. Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from each venue. Lunch is not provided, so participants should bring a packed lunch. All venues are located within the Greater London area.

This camp is running at both our Castle Head and Slapton Ley field centres.
5 day residential, Monday to Friday

Cost to scholar: £95

Gain practical experience for ecology and environmental careers through habitat mapping, species identification and hands on conservation. Develop your skills and interests with like-minded people and foster connections with people working in the environmental field and beyond!

The application process is an online form which includes three main questions:

• Tell us a bit about yourself (Max 300 words)
  Ideas for answers: We want to learn a bit more about you! What are you interested in? Do you have any hobbies? What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? What are you working on at the moment? Remember, you don’t need any previous experience or skills to attend – we just want to know more about who you are!
• Tell us about a nature-based topic that you are passionate or curious about.  (Max 300 words)
  Ideas for answers: We want to understand more about your interests in the natural world. What sparks your curiosity in nature and what would you like to learn more about? This topic could be anything such as a species, event, habitat or theme. What is it about this topic that interests you, what has inspired this interest, where did it come from, and why is it important to you?
• Why do you want to attend the Young Darwin Scholarship? If you were awarded a scholarship, how would this impact your future?  (Max 300 words)
  Ideas for answers: What do you hope to gain and learn as a Young Darwin Scholar? How can the scholarship benefit you? What is it about this programme that sounds good? How would you like to be supported while being a Young Darwin Scholar? What are your aspirations for the next few years and how to do these link to your environmental interests? Are you hoping to learn more for personal interests? Are you considering an environmental career or educational course?

It can be useful to write  your thoughts down in a Word or Google document first and then copy and paste them into our application form.

If a written form is a barrier to you applying, please email [email protected] and we will arrange an alternative application method. This is usually in the form of arranging a telephone or online call so we can speak about your responses. We can also facilitate audio-recorded applications.

We will use the answers given to the questions to make our decision so that applicants will not be required to do a follow-up interview or task. All applications will be scored by the Field Studies Council team.

There are a range of in-person experiences to choose from, including courses and camps, enabling Scholars to choose an experience that aligns with their interests and passions. Some of the experiences are limited to a specific age group, so please check the course page carefully to see if you are in the correct age group.

At the in-person experience you can expect to meet like-minded young people, as well as subject experts and tutors who will guide you through the weeks’ activities.
All the eligible courses are open to bookings from the general public as well as Young Darwin Scholars. On residential camps you will be joining other attendees around your age, while on Employability in Ecology you will be joining other adults interested in entry-level ecology roles.

We can’t guarantee you will be with other Young Darwin Scholars on the in-person experience, but we aim to allocate scholars onto experiences in groups so that you have the opportunity to meet each other, as well as meeting the other young people attending the course.

Scholars pay a contribution towards the overall course price, therefore accessing the experience at a big discount. Residential experiences cost the Scholar £95, while non-residential experiences cost £45. If you can’t afford the contribution, please contact us at [email protected]

If you can’t afford the financial contribution towards the scholarship, please contact us at [email protected]. We provide funding to support those most in need to broaden the accessibility of the scholarship.
Requests for financial support will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. We understand that this is sensitive information, and no financial information will be shared with other scholars.

If a written form is a barrier to you applying, please email [email protected] and we will arrange an alternative application method. This is usually in the form of arranging a telephone or online call so we can speak about your responses. We can also facilitate audio-recorded applications.