About the Pioneers Programme

The Pioneers Programme was at the heart of the Nextdoor Nature project in Scotland. Between 2022-2024, the Nextdoor Nature project provided communities with advice and support to help nature on their doorstep.

Wanting to continue the legacy of the project, the Pioneers Programme is now available for anyone to enrol onto and access. A combination of online learning, resources and webinars, this free skills development course will give participants the knowledge, skills and confidence to be able to organise action for nature in their own communities.

This is a free online course for anyone who wants to proactively help nature in their local areas. The 8-week programme covers a wide range of topics, from how to engage others in the community to how to identify practical actions for nature. Take a look at our Programme Overview here or scroll down for a full breakdown of what’s covered in each of the programme modules.

Simply click the ‘Enroll now’ button at the bottom of this page to access the full course and start your journey to becoming the next nature pioneer! Please note that you will need to register and sign-in before enrolling on this course.

Course breakdown

Course cost: Free

Course length: 8 weeks. The first three modules are available immediately, with additional modules then released every week. Once the core modules are completed, participants will gain access to all optional modules and will continue to have access to all modules and resources after this.

Module overview:

1. Getting started
2. Introduction
3. Wildlife ecology 101
4. Actions for nature
5. Engaging your community
6. Running events
7. Nature and wellbeing
8. Funding your project
9. Health and safety
10. Land and landowners
11. Working with volunteers (optional module)
12. Wildlife surveying (optional module)
13. Government and politics (optional module)
14. Good promotion (optional module)
15. How to set up a community group (optional module)
16. Public speaking (optional module)
17. Management plans for green spaces (optional module)

Nextdoor Nature was a project from The Wildlife Trusts. We worked with communities to bring people together and give everyone the power to help nature flourish – everywhere. Thanks to £5million funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Nextdoor Nature provided communities with start-up advice and support to help nature on their doorstep, leaving a lasting natural legacy to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. You can find out more about the project here.