In July, an educational camp on the Romanian side of the Danube Delta restoration landscape brought together 30 high school students from Romania and Ukraine to reconnect with nature through engaging activities and field trips. The experience gave participants a new appreciation for rewilding and inspiration for the future.
Shaping future rewilders
Inspiring and enabling children and young adults to join the growing restoration movement can have a positive impact on the future health of our planet. Connecting younger people with nature benefits their well-being and development, while helping to create a generation who value and understand the importance of preserving and restoring landscapes and wildlife.
To reconnect secondary school students from Romania and Ukraine with nature and teach them more about rewilding, a five-day Junior Rewilders Camp was held in mid-July on the Romanian side of the Danube Delta. Organised by Rewilding Ukraine and Rewilding Romania, the camp welcomed 30 enthusiastic students from communities on both sides of the delta to the picturesque village of Jurilovca, on the shore of Lake Golovița. Teachers from both countries accompanied the children to gain knowledge and inspiration for future educational activities.
“Helping children reconnect with nature is one of the most meaningful gifts we can offer the Danube Delta,” says Ioana-Cătălina Petrencu, Team Leader for the Danube Delta (Romania). “Our hope is simple but powerful: that experiences such as this camp will help to shape a generation ready to stand up for the wild places they call home.”
A wide-ranging programme
The camp’s diverse programme introduced students to key wildlife species of the Danube Delta, the importance of healthy wetlands and steppes, and how rewilding helps nature and people thrive together.
Field trips led by the Rewilding Ukraine and Rewilding Romania teams took the students into the heart of the delta, where they explored wetlands around Jurilovca, the Black Sea coast, and the Doloșman steppe area. A birdwatching competition saw the students record numerous species, including pelicans, other waterbirds, and a colony of bee-eaters.
Interactive and empowering
Following on from similar camps in previous years, the Junior Rewilders Camp was designed to be as interactive and empowering as possible. In addition to acquiring theoretical knowledge, participants, aged between 12 and 15, developed presentation, teamwork, and critical thinking skills, while gaining experience in birdwatching and nature photography. They also learned how to make traditional clay bricks and took part in an evening exchange of traditions from both Romania and Ukraine.
Using their new-found knowledge about rewilding, students worked in small teams to design initiatives for their own communities and surrounding landscapes. Their proposals included ways to reduce wildfires on the steppe, support Dalmatian pelican recovery, and address wildlife mortality caused by plastic pollution. Some groups presented short plays to illustrate their ideas.
Positive feedback
Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive.
“All of the children told us how much they enjoyed being here,” says Kateryna Kurakina, Rewilding Europe Communications Officer, who helped coordinate the camp. “They were excited to identify so many birds and plants, meet new friends, and come up with ways to protect and enhance the nature and wildlife on their doorstep.”
Invaluable support
Educational activities in the Danube Delta are part of ongoing efforts to accelerate nature recovery across at least 40,000 hectares of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Coordinated by Rewilding Europe, this work is carried out by Rewilding Ukraine, Rewilding Romania, and local partners, with support from the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme.
The Junior Rewilders Camp was the second organised with the support of the Programme, following a similar event in 2024. A “Pelican Education Camp” in 2023 brought together over 50 students from four countries to learn about Dalmatian pelicans and related rewilding efforts through the Pelican Way of Life initiative. Together, these camps have immersed over 100 children in the recovering nature of the delta. The Aventura Pitești Scouts have assisted all three events with entertainment and logistical support.
This article was originally published on the Rewilding Danube Delta website. To find out more about the Danube Delta restoration landscape, visit their project page.
