Creative Conversations for the Future of National Parks

Published: 25 June 2026

As part of Campaign for National Parks’ wider project of National Parks Reimagined, incorporating and conversing with young people is essential for diversifying discussions surrounding National Parks. Creating spaces for conversations about the future of National Parks is a crucial step in opening up parks to be accessible for everyone. Historically, groups such as young people have been marginalised from green spaces, therefore, throughout the reimagining process critically engaging with as many underrepresented groups as possible helps them be involved with the planning processes.

Young people are intrinsic to Reimagining National Parks as we represent the future of our landscapes. As young people we possess the unique opportunity to learn valuable knowledge from older generations and apply this wisdom to our own perspectives which centre around accessibility and inclusion. Yet, within the category of young people it is important to point out that we are not a homogeneous group. There are multiple outlooks from young people across England and Wales, from those who are regularly involved in National Parks to those who have never stepped foot in one. Each of these experiences holds significant weight to how we can shape the social aspects of National Parks.

In practice, implementing and evolving the ‘National Parks Reimagined’ Project uses facilitation of workshops to hear a diverse range of voices that impact how we imagine National Parks. I had the pleasure of attending the second workshop run by Campaign for National Parks in the new programme. This was located in the beautiful North York Moors and was designed to see how young people from across National Parks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland view the future of essential landscapes.

The workshop started with a reflective grounding activity, essential for feeling revitalised ready for the session. After this, we used creative activities to envision what a future of National Parks could look like. Popular activities included zine making, creative writing and collaborative visioning exercises. These creative methods encouraged participants to explore what accessible, welcoming and sustainable National Parks could look like in the future.

By channeling ideas into creative outlets we expressed the future of National Parks the way we perceived them allowing for greater flexibility in our responses. The personalised nature of the session allowed a diverse range of voices to contribute to ‘Reimagined National Parks’.

Personally, attending the workshop helped me explicitly see how the broad experiences young people offer can be captured to create a unique vision, such as rejuvenating the use of
traditional farming practices amongst young people in National Parks. To implement changes young people advocate for their needs to be grassroots activism and initiatives in combination with top down policy changes that promote diversity. Coordinating with young people and other groups throughout National Parks bodies and structure is critical to this process as it gives people the opportunity to express their ideas.

Overall, the use of creative processes to engage not just with young people, but also a range of groups allows us to broaden our horizons of National Parks and to envision a future where we all have equal access to these beautiful spaces. In order to continue reimagining and shaping the future of National Parks, every opinion is a valuable opportunity to provide an alternative perspective.