Junior Ranger Project (JRP)
The
Junior Ranger Project is for children. By providing young people
with opportunities to participate in ranger work, protected
areas fulfil their educational role whilst enhancing
understanding of their aims and appreciation of the natural and
cultural resources they protect.
The Junior Ranger
Project is a EUROPARC Federation pilot project, which has been
going on in many European countries since 2002 (Germany, Great
Britain, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania,
Italy, etc.) see
links
to JRP. |
JRP aims
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Creating a network of
youngsters who actively participate in nature protection and
act as advocates for their home protected area.
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Improving youngsters’
knowledge of the ranger profession, thus raising the
profession’s profile and the number of young people choosing
the ranger profession or other jobs in nature conservation.
-
Raising awareness
about the natural, cultural, social and economic values of
protected areas, as well as their role and daily work.
-
Enhancing recognition
of protected areas and their administrations’ achievements –
enthusiastic junior rangers act as multipliers among
families, schoolmates and friends.
-
Promoting friendship
and a group ethic between young people by engaging them in
the achievement of the common goals of European protected
areas.
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Low-cost JRP version
Some organisations and National Parks have limited resources. Low-cost
JRP enables them to have a JRP with less money and people required.
Specific programmes developed and published
in my graduate and post graduate theses have universal criteria and are
suitable for JRP in different protected areas in Central Europe. They
contain basic general characteristics for each ranger (communication,
interpretation, presentation, negotiation, facilitation, etc.) and they
are useful in relation to visitors. The Junior Ranger is then able to
communicate with visitors about nature conservation issues and with
local communities about their concerns. Sharing these general
experiences and skills is important for the development of Junior Ranger
education and training programmes. It could also lead to a common profile and standards
for rangers across Europe.
JRP low-cost programmes
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Ranger and Protected Areas
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Ranger and outdoor skills
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Ranger and legislation
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Ranger and communication
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Ranger and information
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Ranger and presentation
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Ranger and field facilities
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Ranger and ranger service
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Ranger and parents of JRs
This Project
enables Junior Rangers to follow specific training programmes which give
them a wide general knowledge and complementary skills similar to a real
ranger in protected areas across Europe.
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