University of Hull lecturer Dr Charlotte Dean is leading a new project which hopes to better engage young people in Hull with reading and nature.
Rewilding Reading will connect children with ‘wild’ literature and provide them with outdoor experiences such as bushcrafting, fire making and storytelling.
It is a partnership project, led by Dr Dean, which also involves Hull Libraries, Child Dynamix, Youth in Nature and local historian Mike Covell.
Dr Dean, a lecturer and researcher in Education, recently spoke to BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show presenter Kofi Smiles about the project.
She said: “A lot of people don’t realise that Hull is actually one of the least wooded areas in the UK. There are a lot of green spaces in Hull, but very few of them are wooded.
"As well as teaching them some outdoor activities like fire building and bushcrafting, we are also keen to find new ways to get young people reading and connect them with literature.”
Rewilding Reading is funded and supported by the Ferens Education Trust.
The project has featured a variety of creative research methods such as shared story making, digital film and audio analysis.
Resulting reports, films and resources will be shared across primary and secondary schools through the Hull Library service to promote and develop the connection between learning outdoors and reading for young people.
“We have been running some taster sessions for these events, and the feedback we have received from the young people has been fantastic.
“The next stage is applying for funding to enable these projects to take place during summer holidays, weekends and after school. We have also been talking to farmers and land owners in the East Riding, who are happy to host future events and have young people camping overnight on their land.”
Dr Charlotte Dean is part of the University of Hull’s School of Education.
She recently appeared on BBC Radio Humberside to talk about Rewilding Reading.
You can listen to the full interview with host Kofi Smiles here.