Young wildlife champion
Alex White is a 16-year-old wildlife photographer and blogger from Oxfordshire who got in touch with us as he had a book called Get Your Boots On published a few months ago. He told us, “I wrote Get Your Boots On to encourage more people, especially young people, to get outdoors and discover the wildlife in the UK.” We agree absolutely with that sentiment!
As a wildlife champion, Alex believes that ‘a lifetime of caring for the environment can start close to home with fantastic experiences.’ The book has been well-thumbed in the office as it’s packed with info, advice and inspiration from Alex and a host of contributors. They share simple, low-cost ways that people can enjoy nature as well as their passion, what got them into caring about wildlife and how to get closer to it.
It’s a book that will inspire a sense of adventure in young people and hope in those with many years behind them. Hope that Alex and his generation will demonstrate more care for the planet and take the actions that are needed to safeguard the natural world. One sentiment of his really struck a chord, ‘When I’m old and sitting in a chair in a care home I’m not going to remember that YouTube video or that battle I won on a game console. What will bring a smile to my face is the memory of the first time I saw a badger cub or the feeling of exhilaration that seeing a whale, free, in the wild gave me.’
We asked Alex how his love of nature developed.
“My parents have always encouraged me to spend time outdoors, whether walking the dogs, badger watching or spending time at the coast. I guess while outdoors I began to notice the wildlife and then picked up a camera and started to take photos of what I saw. One teacher, in particular, at Primary school supported my love of wildlife and put up with every project I did having a nature twist to it.”
And we asked him what his ideal job would be.
“At the moment I’m studying media and technology at college. I’ve never been able to decide whether I wanted to be in front of the camera or behind, but now I’m becoming more interested in the technology side of things. We have such great technology that young people are quick to embrace. Instead of alienating us from the outdoors we can use this technology to show people interesting ways to learn, discover more about nature and protect it.
“From QR’s within nature reserves, where people can learn about what they see, to drones giving a different perspective to filming or a way to protect wildlife. I’m just going to see where the next few years take me, but it will definitely be something to do with wildlife.”
The section in the book ‘We are the future’ is truly inspirational and should be included not only in school’s curriculum but also be obligatory reading for society’s decision-makers! Published by Dived Up at £14.95, copies are available via https://divedup.com/shop/get-your-boots-on/
