The article below was written by UK Youth for Nature Co-Director Roisin for RSPB Wingbeat – a publication created for the organisation’s youth membership. Find out more about it here.
The Drop Off happened to me when I left university and moved in with my best friend. Even though I knew Newcastle – I grew up around here – I didn’t actually know anyone. The friendship circles that my best friend welcomed me into weren’t really mine, and I felt so lonely. No one seems to tell you that when you leave school, or sixth form or university, that making friends suddenly feels daunting. It can lead to isolation and loneliness. It feels like everyone is off leading new lives, in different cities, without you. This is The Drop Off. I wish I knew then what I know now, that so many of us experience this and that there are plenty of ways to find new communities and get involved.
Sharing the load
I joined UK Youth for Nature , the leading youth network calling for urgent action on nature loss, in September 2022 as one of the co-directors. I don’t have many friends who are interested in wildlife or nature, and it sometimes frightens me that people don’t seem to care enough. It adds to the eco-anxiety I feel when I have no one to talk to about the changes we are seeing, or how bad my eco-anxiety has become. Joining UKY4N was transformative because suddenly I was able to sit online and chat with other young people with a huge range of life experience, who want to act for nature. There is something reassuring about the idea that every week we meet via Zoom.
We plan meetups, throw around ideas for how we can turn the latest government announcement into a meme or trending sound on TikTok, plan out what march we want to attend, and decide how we can influence politicians to do more for nature. In November, we all headed to Birmingham to spend the day planning out our Not So Freshwater and Urban Nature campaigns. Over piles of sticky notes with scrawled ideas for the next big campaign action, and surrounded by lists of our favourite nature podcasts, books, films and resources, I felt part of something that made the loneliness and anxiety loosen its grip. A passion for nature and campaigning, and the desire to meet other people who felt the same way, had brought us together.
Finding your people
The Drop Off feels all-consuming, but it doesn’t need to make you feel stuck. Getting involved in a youth network, local group or volunteering is one of the best ways to find new friends and, ultimately, a new community. Coming from a place of structure and friendship, then being launched into a life with equal parts endless possibility and responsibility is overwhelming, but it is so much easier to do alongside other people who are going through the same thing.
Whether it is UK Youth for Nature that floats your boat or a local group close by, you absolutely have skills that are worth sharing with a cause you care about. You might be excellent at campaigning already, or maybe you’re more behind-the-scenes, curating the perfect social media post? Maybe you’re a passionate ecologist, or a skilled nature artist? Whatever you bring to the table there are other people who will celebrate those skills, and communities who could use them to advocate for a brighter and more nature-rich future. So, if you ever feel in that lonely space, reach outwards rather than inwards, and find that new community. It sometimes takes a bit of bravery, but it’s so worth it in the end.
