We work with schools to help young people build their knowledge and understanding of the environmental challenges facing our wildlife and wild spaces. Our aim is to inspire positive action.
Our Schools Against Extinction education initiative is focused specifically on raising awareness about endangered species and the threats facing them. We can help your pupils get a better understanding of our planet’s most endangered species, the threats they face, and how we can all act to ensure their survival.
Fundraise for Explorers Against Extinction
Support our work and raise funds for Explorers Against Extinction. This could simply be in the form of a bake sale or coffee morning, or a non-uniform day – there is no minimum. £50 for example pays for a check-up at the vet for one of our conservation canines; £20 pays for a pair of boots for a ranger.
Fund-raising support
Fund-raising suggestions: hold a non-uniform day, a cake sale/coffee morning or a sports day/summer fair barbecue; organise an event (disco, music recital, conservation debating competition etc) ; make and sell wildlife greeting/Christmas cards; organise sponsored activities (walks/dog walks; beach/park clean-ups and litter picks).
Host an event at your school: sell tickets for a conservation evening at your school. A trustee can come to talk about our work in more detail.
You can choose the project you want to support and set your own target for how much you want to raise.
You will receive a certificate at the end of your campaign. If fundraising exceeds £1,000 we will send a video message or come and say thank you at an assembly or lesson.
To get some inspiration for how your fundraising could benefit our projects please see below.
Sketch for Survival Junior
Sketch for Survival Junior helps to raise vital awareness about species extinction and biodiversity loss while also raising funds for projects around the world.
The competition showcases a range of different art styles and unites the voices of young people from all around the world in support of conservation. Last year we received over 5,000 entries from nearly one hundred different nationalities. In eight years, 114 nationalities have participated.
In 2025 we have three age groups – 11 and under ; 12-16 years and 17-18 years. Submissions close on 31 May. Full competition guidelines here>>
How to enter as a school
1. CONTACT OUR SCHOOLS’ CO-ORDINATOR, NEIL
for a Schools’ Information Pack containing information about us and the age-group specific submission forms. His email is neil@realworldconservation.org.uk
2. ORGANISE ARTWORK
Check the competition guidelines (pay special attention to SIZE & SUBJECT) and invite your students to create an eligible artwork.
Take a photo of each entry and rename the photo with the student’s name and age. PDFS ARE NOT PERMITTED AND WILL NOT BE VIEWED.
Organise your entries into specific age-group folders and complete the relevant age-group form (XLS Files):
Create an additional folder to drop individual images of the students with their artworks into, or class photos if you prefer (optional) – any images we receive will be included in our Supporters’ Mosaic.
3. ZIP YOUR FOLDERS TOGETHER AND ENTER
Your master folder should be named with the name of your school and country e.g, JONES HIGH SCHOOL, UK
To zip a folder – right click the folder, select SEND TO…and then choose Zipped (Compressed) folder.
Email your entries to schools@realworldconservation.org.uk (or if the folder is too large then please email by WeTransfer ).
We will confirm safe receipt of your entries and send you a Certificate of Participation.
The teacher’s email address provided on the form(s) will be added to our competition database as the main point of contact – if you have a student(s) longlisted or selected as a Finalist you will receive an email – please keep an eye out for this on result days and check your spam folder!
The longlist will be published 19 June and the Finalists announced 4 September – results can be accessed by everyone from midday via our Website Home Page, or via social media.
Our selection panel will award a trophy to Sketch for Survival UK Junior School, and Senior School of the Year and Sketch for Survival International School of the Year (based on the overall quality of the group submission).
SAMPLE PROJECTS
The Sheldrick Trust – £800- £1,600 fund-raising target
Pioneering elephant rescue, rehabilitation and release project in Kenya founded by the late Dame Daphne Sheldrick.
£800 could cover an entire month’s worth of formula milk for one elephant orphan
£900 could fund a Mobile Veterinary Unit for two weeks, giving life-saving treatment to sick and injured wild animals in the field
£1,300 could enrol a Ranger in three months of intensive training at the KWS Manyani Training Academy
£1,600 could fund the rescue of an orphan elephant, bringing it into the care of the Sheldrick Trust Nursery in Nairobi – one orphan will be fostered on the school’s behalf and you can receive monthly e-updates for 1 year about this orphan.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy – £800 – £2000 fund-raising target
Ol Pejeta is part of Fauna & Flora International and is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa. It is also home to the last two northern white rhinos in the world. The rhinos are protected by a specialist anti-poaching dog squad or K9 unit, comprising three different breeds fulfilling different roles: tracking (bloodhound), detection (Spaniel) and attack (Belgian Malinois).
£800 could equip a wildlife ranger with essential kit (boots, uniform, binoculars etc)
£1,000 could feed an anti-poaching dog for a year
£2,000 could help to care on a day to day basis for Ol Pejeta’s rhinos, and allow your school the opportunity to name a rhino on the conservancy
Tiger Protection Units, Sumatra – £900 – £2,888 fund-raising target
Equip forest-edge community rangers working in three ecosystems in Sumatra with vital equipment. The rangers patrol for snares, monitor the health and movements of the tigers and observe changes over time to the rainforest habitat – their work is essential to the tiger’s future and an essential link with the local communities.
£900 could fund three camera traps to monitor wildlife including tigers and other species.
£1,925 could pay for a session of field training, helping to get new rangers into the forest to protect tigers from poaching
£2,888 could pay for a motorbike, to help rangers’ access remote locations
