The booklet explores the peninsula’s various species
British Land’s community partners Global Generation have unveiled a new educational resource created by young people, for young people, to help them explore Canada Water’s 130 acres of green and blue space.
Nature’s Classroom: Canada Dock Activity Book is filled with information and images on the living things you can encounter in Canada Water, from cormorants and great-crested grebes to water boatmen and whirligig beetles.
Activity pages include a step-by-step guide to drawing a mallard, a challenge to write a letter to humans from the perspective of a plant or animal in the dock, and instructions on how to weave from waste fabrics.
There are four versions of the booklet, with the front cover of each forming one quarter of a map of local blue and green spaces. The idea is for young people to find someone with a different part of the map on their cover, and make it whole again.
The activity book was designed by the Generators – 30 members of Global Generation’s youth leadership scheme aged 10 to 18. They spent two months working on the project, exploring the revitalised Canada Dock and the surrounding area, mapping histories, completing workshops on bird call, and meeting with the companies behind works to the Dock including contractor Galldris, British Land, and the London Wildlife Trust.
The Generators’ aim was to meet the brief set out by British Land to offer an invitation to young people, whether 5 years old or 15, to connect with nature that they may usually walk straight by, and through doing so bring about environmental and social change.
Hasan from Global Generation said: “We took the young people on a guided blindfolded discovery walk along the red bridge to unlock their senses and sense of orientation. When they took off their blindfolds, and looked around, this helped them observe the changes, the animals and the landscape with fresh eyes. From this point on, they began to draw, write, research, name and imagine games and activities together that they could put inside this booklet for other young people to discover.”
One Generator added: “The process was very free, an open-ended discovery.” Another said: “’I really liked observing and drawing and using my senses”, while a third added: “’It was confusing at first, but the end result was quite unique – I’ve never made something like that, something of such scale and importance.”
Kita Berman van Heerden, Strategic Lead at Canada Water Connect, who help community organisations and local people access opportunities being created by the development, said: “Development projects offer huge educational potential, and at Canada Water we’re determined to harness that for the benefit of local people in the area. A major focus of the Canada Water development is to enhance the Rotherhithe peninsula’s green and blue spaces and promote biodiversity.
“We want local people to be a part of every stage of the development’s life cycle – planning, development and activation – ultimately helping us shape the future of this neighbourhood. Our partnership with Global Generation provides the space and the expertise for young people to engage with the Canada Water development.”
The Generators can be found at Paper Garden, the award-winning space set up by Global Generation in partnership with Jan Kattein Architects and with support from British Land. Find out how to join them in their mission to create positive change at www.globalgeneration.org.uk/get-involved/individuals
The booklet was conceived with local schools in mind. A limited run of printed copies are available for schools and youth groups, available on a first come, first served basis – email [email protected] for details.
However, the Generators hope the booklet will inspire curiosity far beyond the neighbourhood, and a free digital version will be available soon – check back here shortly!
