Young Naturalists
Helping young people grow into compassionate, confident adults who care deeply for nature, others, and their communities.
Help Us Grow a Generation That Cares: The Young Naturalists Impact
Young Naturalists is a visionary group of four interconnected initiatives working together to ignite a love for nature, uplift communities, and guide young people toward becoming compassionate, capable adults. Each program is rooted in education, conservation, and empowerment. Addressing urgent challenges like biodiversity loss, poverty, and disconnection from the natural world.
Our Four Pillars of Change
- Happy Acres For over 80 years, Happy Acres has offered immersive children’s camps that foster environmental awareness, conservation values, and joyful learning. Through direct interaction with nature and animals—especially insects and small mammals—children build confidence, empathy, and a lifelong connection to the natural world.
- Woodland Prep A Department of Education–registered primary school, Woodland Preparatory, has been delivering nature-integrated learning that nurtures academic excellence, emotional intelligence, and ethical leadership for 26 years. It prepares youth to thrive in both the classroom and the natural world.
- ABERI The African Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration Initiative empowers the public to restore biodiversity through data-driven plant selection. A Biodiversity Support Score has been assigned to all regional plants, guiding the choice of species that support herbivores—such as pollinators, caterpillars, and large animals. These, in turn, support higher trophic levels, helping reestablish functional ecosystems. The system can be expanded to support agriculture through supporting crop-specific biological control agents by planting appropriate host plants. ABERI’s core focus is conservation—with special attention to insects and small mammals—and it makes ecological science accessible and actionable for youth, families, and communities.
- Resilient Roots This farming training initiative equips impoverished periurban families with agroecological skills, financial literacy, and ongoing mentorship. It promotes sustainable agriculture, supports poverty alleviation, and strengthens food security—while reinforcing family values and building close-knit, resilient communities.
Why Your Support Matters
Your partnership helps us reach more children, train more families, and restore more ecosystems. It enables us to provide scholarships, expand outreach, and build resilient communities where nature is not only protected, but celebrated.
Every dollar donated goes further with us than in most places—we’re able to stretch each contribution to achieve truly remarkable impact. A meal for you could be a life-changing experience for someone else.
Together, we can grow a generation that cares deeply for the Earth, for one another, and for the future we all share.
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Every child deserves a connection with nature
Happy Acres: Eight Decades of Nature, Nurture, and Leadership For over 80 years, Happy Acres has been a trusted catalyst for environmental education and personal transformation in South Africa. More than a children’s field centre, it has shaped generations of conservation leaders, ethical citizens, and environmentally conscious adults who continue to make meaningful contributions to society. A Legacy Worth Investing In Happy Acres has built a remarkable legacy—its alumni include scientists, educators, great parents, and changemakers who trace their values and life direction to formative experiences at the centre. Many have gone on to lead restoration efforts, influence policy, and inspire others across Africa and beyond. Your support will directly uplift children who need a boost—providing access to transformative experiences in nature. It will also help the centre weather current economic challenges, ensuring this legacy not only endures but expands as South Africa moves toward greater stability. Proven Methodology: Joyful Immersion in Nature Children learn best when they’re having fun. Through play, exploration, strategic games, and storytelling, Happy Acres introduces young minds to the wonders and complexity of the natural world. Whether tracking butterflies, searching for scorpions, or splashing in pristine rivers, every moment is designed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and foster a lasting connection with nature—something increasingly rare and urgently needed. Growing Hearts and Minds Happy Acres doesn’t just cultivate ecological awareness—it nurtures emotional intelligence and social cohesion. Children deepen their understanding of themselves and others, learning to collaborate, reflect, and lead with empathy. These interpersonal skills are foundational to the kind of leadership our planet needs. Dispelling Fear Through Knowledge Fear of nature is gently replaced with understanding. Guided discovery and hands-on learning help children see the wild not as something to fear, but as something to respect and protect. Knowledge becomes the bridge between apprehension and awe. You Can Only Conserve That Which You Know and Love This principle is the heartbeat of Happy Acres. By nurturing familiarity with nature—and with themselves—children grow into adults who care deeply, act wisely, and lead boldly. With your partnership, we can continue planting seeds of care and responsibility that flourish across generations.
- Raised
- $0
- Goal
- $10,000
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Help Empower Communities Through Regenerative Farming
Roots & Resilience is a transformative initiative that empowers peri-urban communities near Happy Acres to become self-sustaining through agroecological and regenerative farming practices. Designed for families facing economic hardship, the program offers practical pathways to food security, income generation, and ecological stewardship—while strengthening community identity and dignity. Why Your Support Matters In regions where poverty and environmental degradation intersect, the training program offers a hopeful alternative. By restoring soil, surrounding ecosystems, and livelihoods simultaneously, the program addresses hunger, unemployment, and climate vulnerability at their source. What Your Contribution Enables Agroecological Training: Families learn to grow food using regenerative techniques that heal the land, reduce input costs, and restore biodiversity in the surrounding areas. The training includes composting, water-wise farming, closed-loop farming, boosting natural pest control through boosting indigenous pest predators, and biodiversity-friendly practices rooted in local knowledge. Ongoing Mentorship from Happy Acres: With Happy Acres nearby, participants receive regular guidance, encouragement, and technical support. This proximity ensures continuity, trust, and a nurturing environment for long-term success. Market Access & Financial Literacy: The program helps participants sell surplus produce through ethical channels, while teaching them essential business skills, such as budgeting, record-keeping, and cooperative management. Families learn to run their farms as viable micro-enterprises. Community Cohesion & Empowerment: Beyond farming, Regenerative Roots fosters collaboration, shared learning, and pride in place—anchored in the ethos of strong family values. Parents are supported in creating close-knit family units where children grow up with a sense of purpose, belonging, and connection to the land. 🌍 A Lasting Investment This is not a short-term intervention: it’s a legacy-building initiative. With your partnership, we can equip communities to feed themselves, restore their landscapes, and participate meaningfully in the local economy. Every crop planted is a step toward resilience, dignity, and ecological harmony.
- Raised
- $0
- Goal
- $6,000
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