As the largest ecological society in Europe with over 6,000 members in 130 countries we are passionate about improving social mobility and diversity in the ecological sciences. To level the playing field for talented young ecologists from low income backgrounds and Black and Ethnic Minority communities, we have launched Ecology – the Next Generation.   This initiative is designed to support talented young natural scientists from some of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK to gain a place at a leading university, prosper during their studies and get a job in ecology when they graduate.   At the heart of this work is our Ecology- the Next Generation Summer School. We take 30 science A-level students studying at schools from some of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK on a five day residential field work course where they learn advanced research techniques. They are taught and mentored by PhD students, leading academics and professional ecologists all of whom provide their services free of charge. Participation is by competitive application and we pay all the expenses of successful applicants. We now want to extend the summer schools and share our learnings so that teachers across the UK can stage their own local one day field work courses based on the Ecology - the Next Generation model .   Every donation, however large or small, will help give a young person from disadvantaged and Black and Ethic Minority communities the opportunity to study and work in ecology. Thank you  

Paul Bower, BES Fundraising and Development Manager