Into the Wild: Young Voices Rising in Dartmoor

Aim

🌿 Support Us Take Create UP to Dartmoor – A Transformational Nature Retreat for 18–20 Year Olds

🌿 Help Us Take Create UP to Dartmoor – A Transformational Nature Retreat for 18–20 Year Olds

Crowdfunder target: £4,000

This April, we’re taking a group of young Bristolians aged 18–20 on a powerful weekend retreat to Dartmoor National Park as part of Create UP! – our intergenerational social action programme focused on climate resilience, creativity, and connection.

We’re raising £4,000 to cover the full cost of this 3-day experience: including travel, food, accommodation, facilitation, and the creation of a participant-led short film.

Thanks to four fundraising events and generous support from grant funders, we’re halfway there – and now we’re asking our wider community to help us cross the finish line.

🌱 What is Create UP?

Create UP! is a youth-led programme run by Mafia Weekend CIC, supporting 18–20-year-olds in East Bristol to build confidence, community, and creativity through storytelling, nature connection, and hands-on social action.

Since February 2025, participants have been meeting twice monthly to explore climate justice, community care, and how to turn eco-anxiety into hopeful action. The Dartmoor Trip (25–27 April) is a core part of this journey.

🏞️ Why Dartmoor?

Dartmoor offers the kind of space we rarely get in the city: room to breathe, reflect, connect, and dream.

Through guided walks, storytelling, practical outdoor skills, and creative reflection, participants will explore:

• Land access & countryside rights
• Navigation, safety & foraging
• Local myths & activism in Dartmoor
• Storytelling in nature
• Environmental justice & personal resilience

We’ll stay at YHA Dartmoor, with meals, shared dorms, and a full programme of guided experiences.

🎥 Storytelling & Film

We’re thrilled to be working with filmmaker Farhath Siddiqui (Siddiqui Media) to help participants document their stories and co-create a short film exploring what motivates change and how nature inspires action.

This film will be shared widely to celebrate young people’s voices and inspire others to engage in climate action and community building.

💸 Budget Breakdown – Total Cost: £4,300
We’ve already secured:

• £1,000 from Campaign for National Parks
• £500 from the Ernest Cook Trust

Funds raised through 4 community fundraising events

Now we’re raising the final £2,500 to bring the whole experience together.

Expense    Cost (£)

• YHA Accommodation & Catering    £1,100 for 16 people
• Videography    £700
• Editing (3 days)    £700
• Dartmoor Mountain Leader    £200
• Minibus hire (via Black2Nature)    £200
• Fuel    £100
• Embercombe Site Hire    £150
• Guest Facilitators (Mica, Gabriel, Jonny)    £550
• Coordination & Hosting (James)    £400

Total    £4,300

🙌 Special thanks to David Partington, who is donating his time to drive the group safely to and from Dartmoor.

💬 Why It Matters

• This isn’t just a trip – it’s a rare opportunity for young adults to:
• Develop practical skills and emotional resilience
• Deepen their connection with nature and each other
• Find their voice through creative storytelling
• Be part of a movement building climate hope, not fear

✨ How You Can Help

Whether it’s £5 or £50, every donation gets us closer to Dartmoor.

If you can’t give, please share this campaign with your network.

Let’s get this incredible group out of the city and into the wild – to connect, reflect, and tell stories that shape the future.

Thank you for being part of the journey.

Tree Planting Expedition (February  2025) in collaboration with St Ethelburga's: centre for Reconcillitation and Peace.

A two-night, three-day adventure with young Bristolians at the UK’s first Organic Halal Farm in Oxfordshire, focusing on environmental stewardship and cross-cultural connections. We will planting over 150 native trees to encourage wildlife and protect soil. Details of the lifeline project can be found here.

Intergenerational Climate Action Programme (February-September 2025)

Funded by the #iwill Fund and SNG Housing, this 8-month programme will unite young people and elderly residents to co-create solutions for community climate related resilience, fostering intergenerational connections. #iwill Fund have awared Mafia weekend CIC £10,000 to create this community climate resilience project.

The Power of Storytelling to Transform Communities

With partnerships like the Climate Majority Project and the Association of Sustainability Practitioners, our work is rooted in collaboration and care. Stories from The Story Gathering will be shared nationally, creating a ripple effect of inspiration and action.

By supporting this project, you’ll help us create safe, inclusive spaces that empower communities to face the climate crisis with creativity, connection, and resilience. Together, we can inspire a future rooted in justice, equity, and care for our planet.

Join us on this transformative journey. Let’s build a movement of storytellers shaping the future.

Mafia Weekend CIC co-created a youth-led, participatory film in partnership with Thames Water and Backyard Nature, exploring climate anxiety and our relationship with nature.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made