Youth Council Members

The EUROPARC Federation Youth Council

The EUROPARC Federation strategy for 2030 commits to empowering the voice of young people throughout its work. The EUROPARC Youth Council is a step forward to promote youth engagement in decision making as requested in the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto.

EUROPARC Atlantic Isles are delighted to have three representatives on the Youth Council, taking Atlantic Isles matters to the heart of the EUROPARC family. These members are:

Hermione Pocock, Outreach Project Assistant at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Hermione has had an interest in Protected Landscapes and National Parks from a young age. Growing up next door to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it became a large part of her identity and she feels most at home in the setting of field barns, dry stone walls and purple heather! She also spent a lot of her childhood visiting Nidderdale National Landscape and the beaches of the North York Moors and the Northumberland Coast National Landscape.

She has since studied animal conservation at university and then began working in Protected Landscapes in 2023 as a Community Engagement Trainee at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. She then progressed to Youth Engagement Officer working with refugees, neurodivergent groups and groups from disadvantaged backgrounds. She facilitates people visiting and engaging with the Yorkshire Dales and building a connection with nature. Hermione believes strongly that spending time in nature has a positive impact on mental and physical wellbeing and wants everyone to experience the benefits.

She has continued that work in her new role at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust as Outreach Project Assistant and builds on her knowledge in the Environmental Education sector by recently starting an apprenticeship as an Outdoor Learning Specialist.

Her involvement in Youth Voice work and EUROPARC started in October 2023 at the first EUROPARC Conference in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. She was part of the group of young people who got a place with the Youth with a Mission Funding. Since then, she has been a member of the Youth Council and has also taken an interest in the Youth Voice of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

She facilitated young people from the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors to develop and present at the EUROPARC Atlantic Isles Sheffield Conference in November 2024 on the topic of Flourishing Communities. She has also presented to the members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority about the importance of Youth Voice and worked together with the rest of the EUROPARC Youth Council to promote the EUROPARC Youth Manifesto across all European Protected Landscapes. She believes that young people’s voices are integral for the future of our protected areas and we must take actions to make sure that young people can still live, work and enjoy these places.

Hayley Quarrington, Project Co-ordinator for the Landscapes Connection Project, Peak District National Park

Hayley grew up in the South Downs National Park, close to the sea and nearby country parks. It took some time to figure out what she wanted to do, but she finally fell into nature at college while studying geography and biology. This was followed by a Wildlife Conservation and Ecology degree at university. During her degree, Hayley took a placement year and volunteered as assistant ranger at a country park in the South Downs. Although this wasn’t with the National Park Authority, it introduced her to the mechanics of how UK national parks worked.

After her degree, Hayley started at the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) as a National Park Intern under the New to Nature scheme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Groundworks UK. This year-long internship paved Hayley’s journey into youth voice, where she first became involved with the National Parks UK Youth Voice initiative, and through this work she got to represent youth voice through some cool opportunities! One of these was presenting the importance of youth voice in national parks to newly appointed DEFRA Authority members. During her internship, she also helped shape, support and create the New Forest Youth Board, a group of 18 to 30 years olds dedicated to preserving the New Forest National Park and ensuring young voices are heard in decision making and governance.

Hayley joined the EUROPARC Youth Council December 2024, and renewed her membership in December 2025 for the next 2-years. Hayley has had opportunities to chair and support our online webinars, contribute to and run a workshop session on youth voice and help facilitate a visionary session on protected landscapes for the future at the 2025 EUROPARC Conference in Lithuania. Hayley is incredibly passionate about youth voice, knowing and experiencing some of the barriers young people face trying to work in this sector. Hayley is excited to progress her work with youth voices in protected areas through engagement, decision making and governance, and continue to promote inclusion in these spaces.

Laura Rosa Regalado Rocha, National Parks and Wildlife Services, Ireland

Laura Rosa discovered her passion for nature protection during the hikes she took with her family as a child. Growing up in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, places such as the Anaga Rural Park and Teide National Park sparked her fascination with unique landscapes and species found nowhere else. Even then, she loved sharing interesting facts about nature with family and friends.

Her connection with nature deepened when she climbed Teide and watched the sunrise from the summit. In that moment, she realised that protecting these special places was the path she wanted to follow.

Laura later completed a degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Renewable Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Santiago de Compostela. During her studies, she was already engaging in environmental education, creating a social media account with friends to share knowledge about nature and sustainability – without realising she was already developing her passion for communication and awareness.

After working in an environmental consultancy in the Canary Islands, Laura decided to seek international experience. This decision brought her to Ireland, where later she joined the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Working with people in protected areas helped her realise something that goes beyond one country: how easily we can feel disconnected from the nature around us, strengthening her motivation to help communities rediscover the value of their local landscapes.

As a member of the EUROPARC Federation Youth Council, Laura hopes to inspire young people to engage with nature conservation in protected areas. She believes young voices bring fresh perspectives and creativity to protected areas, helping shape their future. Through this role, she aims to strengthen the connection between young people and nature while bringing new ideas and experiences to her work in NPWS. Laura looks forward to sharing her journey and encouraging other to follow their own path in protecting protected areas.