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Active Communities Going Wild
Welcome to our wild community, a place for anyone in Birmingham and Solihull interested in all things wild. Wild to us is more than nature. The word ‘wild’ comes from the word ‘will’ so to us being wild is equally about the ‘wild on the inside’ or our own inner will to create change as it is about ‘wild on the outside’ and connecting to nature in the places we live.
Being wild is about taking an active participation in the places we live. It is about:
- Redesigning spaces for humans not cars
- Reclaiming space for growing, for play, for connecting to one another
- Challenging the system to adapt to the needs of the community
- Championing hyper-local green space accessible for everyone
- Building networks to share skills, ideas and seeds (metaphorical and real)
- Supporting direct action to reclaim the way our city is designed, looks and feels
Most of all it is about reclaiming our relationship with our common right to the places we live – for everyone in our community.
The Everyday Wild Challenge was created in response to the Covid-19 crisis as a way to encourage and build community around taking actions every day to connect to the places we live even during ‘lockdown’ when our relationship to our local environment is key.
We’ll continue to offer ideas and inspiration for as long as we need to and we’ll continue to offer the Active Parks: Teeny Explorers Forest School sessions as part of our virtual offer but we’d also love to hear:
- What you’ve been doing, so please share any reflections or photos with us
- Any ideas you have to get people to connect everyday with their wild
Reclaiming the Wild Commons
Since last September we’ve been working with communities across Birmingham & Solihull, funded by Sport England on a project to reclaim our wild commons. This means looking for opportunities to re-imagine our relationship with space in the city and working with communities to reclaim those spaces. We have started working with over 40 communities and are in the process of supporting residents to create pocket parks, design small-scale interventions on streets and plant trees across the city.
We plan to do more of this as soon as conditions allow and work with communities in more places to grow food, create spaces for play, connect to one another and make space for nature.
Most of all though we want to build community, share ideas, inspiration and skills. We want to support a group of modern-day Commoners ready to participate in the re-design of their city.
Active Communities Going Wild is just the start and we’d love to play an active role in shaping how we develop it.
What do I do?
We’ve started Everyday Wild Challenge – find the latest on our facebook group, Active Communities Going Wild, and follow how everyone else is doing. Have a go, share what you see, experience or make and post on social media using #WildTogether
Keep to the 2 metre distance, only go with people you live with and limit time outside to one piece of exercise a day.
Keep it local; Birmingham has 591 parks and public green spaces, all still open
Everything we suggest can either be done at home, in your garden if you have one, or in your local patch of green space.
Everyday a Wild Day!
Each day of the week we will share a wild challenge on Active Communities Going Wild – it might be encouraging you to notice something new emerging this spring like flowers or discovering new bird song. It might be some ideas to help you grow some food or plants on your windowsill or garden. We’ll find some nature-based crafts to keep you and your family entertained. We will even try to find some games to play to keep you active.
Tell us your wild story
We’d love to hear your stories about the wild challenge. What have you seen, or heard, made or experienced? Have these ideas changed the way you or your family are spending your time, has it made you think, or act or feel differently? We’d love it you share stories with us. And don’t forget to use social media too #brumtogether