February 25 1997
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On Thursday, June 27th 1996, the first 30 elementary school children will receive the John Muir Award ('Discovery' Level) here in Dunbar. The children are 10 and 11 year olds from Dunbar Primary School, which was specially selected to pilot the Award because of the historical associations with John Muir.
In order to receive a John Muir Award the children have to address 5 challenges:The children have completed Level One (Discovery Level) of the John Muir Award and may now go on to Level Two (Explorer Award) and ultimately Level Three (Conserver Award). The same five challenges are repeated at each level but with greater commitment and effort required. The John Muir Award is non-competitive and is firmly centred on the social and personal development of the young people involved. It is intended to offer the Award through existing school and youth networks, including primary and secondary schools, youth clubs, Scouts, Girl Guides, Boys Brigade and Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme. The Award has been piloted during 1996 with £30,000 funding provided by Scottish Natural Heritage and from the John Muir Trust's own funds.
The children at Dunbar Primary School discovered, explored and conserved wildness right on their own doorstep - in their own gardens. They looked at wild plants, birds, insects and animals. They worked with Bobby Anderson the Ranger at John Muir Country park in Dunbar and they contrasted this kind of 'wildness' with the kind they have in their gardens.
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They studied the birds of the Belhaven Bay beach and the River Tyne estuary: gannets, terns, shelduck, curlews, puffins, guillemots, cormorants and many more. They explored the wildlife of the frog-pond which lies in the saltmarsh at the rear of the beach and they carried out a litter clean-up and helped create new habitat for the frogs. | ![[Writing up journals]](journals.jpg)
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In exploring John Muir's life they read passages from The Story of My Boyhood and Youth and were given a slide-presentation by Graham White from the Edinburgh Environment Centre. They also met Dale Cook, President of the John Muir Memorial Association, who was visiting Dunbar from Martinez. They explored similarities and differences in Muir's life, between Dunbar and America. In his Dunbar birthplace the house had no piped water, no indoor toilet facilities and only an earth closet in the back yard. The streets were unlit at night, and the stone houses had no form of heating save coal, during the long 8 month winters. The children were fascinated to learn about Muir's luxurious Martinez home and about his campaigns as President of the Sierra Club.
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On Monday the children will open their Exhibition in Dunbar Library which relates all that they have discovered about John Muir and how they have put his philosophy into practice by studying and conserving a 'wild place' here in Dunbar. It will be open to the public for a week, from June 24th-29th and will be visited by councillors and education officials. | ![[Showing off the exhibits]](library.jpg)
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The American Consul in Edinburgh, Julie Moyes is coming to Dunbar on Thursday to present the children with the first John Muir Awards in Scotland. She will be assisted by the Director of the John Muir Trust - Nigel Hawkins, and East Lothian's Director of Education - Alan Blackie.
| The children will show the Consul around the Exhibition at 9.15am and at 9.45 they will conduct her around John Muir House Birthplace Museum, where she will present a new American Flag for display outside the Museum. | ![[Sketch of JM House]](../../Graphics/JMH_96x128.gif){kind=small}
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At 10.30 the children, with parents, teachers, Rangers and honoured guests, will
assemble in the new Leisure Pool activity hall, which stands on the cliffs above
Dunbar Castle, where John Muir once played.
They will each receive a beautiful illuminated scroll together with a copy of Canongate Book's new edition of 'The Wilderness Journeys' by John Muir. Press and television will then film the children on the grassy slope above the castle, looking out across the sea to the Bass Rock and the islands of the River Forth. |
It is hoped that the Award can be offered to all children in Scotland (3,000 schools) and later to all children in England (30,000 schools). Over 500,000 young people aged 11-25 are affiliated to youth organisations such as Scouts, Guides, Duke of Edinburgh's Award etc. and we hope the John Muir Award can be offered through these existing networks. This strategy is currently being tested with these agencies and all signs so far are that the Award is making great strides.
Beyond this it is hoped that further sections of the Award will be developed relating to adults and to specific communities of interest who we would like to bring into closer contact with conservation: the Arts and Sciences, Farming, Industry, Commerce, Politics etc. Each community of interest will be asked to nominate people who, in their judgement, have benefited conservation through their work.
The The Lottery Fund Charities Board awarded the John Muir Trust £70,000 to continue its pioneering work in developing the John Muir Award in Scotland. The Mission of the John Muir Award is to bring into Conservation the vast majority of children and adults who are currently excluded - it is estimated that less than 5,000 Scottish children, from a target population of 1.3 million aged 5-25, are actually involved directly in conservation activities. This contrasts markedly with the 500,000 from the same age group who are afiliated members of youth groups which undertake a wide range of sporting and recreational activities each week.
The Trust hopes to use the John Muir Award to bring hundreds of thousands of children into active involvement with Conservation through first hand experience.
Sincerely, Graham White Director, Edinburgh Environment Centre John Muir Trust Education Group Tel: 0131-557 2135 (day) 01368 863 478 (eve) Graham White <101320.57@CompuServe.COM>