Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Craig (born 2002), also known as Birdgirl, is a British Bangladeshi[1][2] ornithologist[3][4] and campaigner for equal rights. In February 2020, she received an honorary doctorate in science (D.Sc.h.c) from the University of Bristol, and is said to be the youngest British person to receive such an award.[5]

Mya-Rose Craig
Born2002  (age 18)
Alma mater
OccupationSchool student, ornithologist, activist 
Awards
Websitehttp://www.birdgirluk.com/ 

Craig attends Chew Valley School.[6] She created the non-profit organisation Black2Nature to run nature camps for black and minority ethnic children.[1][2] Her honorary degree was awarded for that initiative, and in recognition of her advocacy for visible minority ethnic (VME) children and teenagers.[7] She was nominated by Richard Pancost, head of earth sciences at the university.[5][7]

She defines "VME" as distinct from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME), as the latter includes white minority ethnic groups, and she eschews the use of the word black to describe people of Asian origin.[8] She calls on white-led organisations in the nature conservation and media and environmental sectors to do more to engage with young VME people,[8] and speaks of the racism inherent in nature conservation.[9]

Craig was a "Bristol 2015 Ambassador" during the city's year as European Green Capital.[10]

She is a bird ringer[11] and won the National Biodiversity Network's 2018 Gilbert White Youth Award for recording terrestrial and freshwater wildlife.[12] She contributed to Chris Packham's A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife, at Packham's invitation.[13] She spoke to a crowd of 10,000 at the Packham-organised People's Walk for Wildlife.[14]

At the age of twelve, she had a column, "Birding Tales", in the Chew Valley Gazette.[15] Her writing was also published in New Internationalist when she was thirteen.[16]

She has made a number of national television appearances and interviews, including the BBC's The One Show[17] and ITV's News at Ten.[18] In 2010, she was featured in a BBC Four documentary (filmed in 2009, when she was seven years old), Twitchers: A Very British Obsession,[5] alongside Lee Evans.[19]

She lives in Compton Martin.[7] Her mother is a Bengali Muslim with family from the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh.[20]

References
  1. "Teen creates nature camps for BAME children". BBC News. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. "Black2Nature". Year of Green Action. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  3. Wright, Mike (12 January 2020). "Teenage twitcher becomes youngest Briton to be awarded honorary degree after spotting 5,000 birds". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2020. Dedicated ornithologist Mya-Rose Craig, 17
  4. Guyoncourt, Sally (15 January 2020). "Teen birdwatcher and keen conservationist to be awarded honorary degree at 17". iNews. Retrieved 25 June 2020. Dr Rich Pancost, University of Bristol head of earth sciences, said... 'In addition to being a world-leading ornithologist...'
  5. "'Birdgirl' receives honorary doctorate aged 17". BBC News. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  6. "The One Show's Mike Dilger and Birdgirl join forces". Agri-hub. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  7. "Cranfield Trust and Black2Nature: Celebrations for Birdgirl". Cranfield Trust. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  8. "How do we Change a Whole Sector? Colonialism in Conservation Nature is the Cause of Institutionalised Racism – By Mya-Rose Craig". CIEEM. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  9. "Black2Nature's Mya-Rose Craig on the conservation sector: its foundations and its racism". Bristol Radical History Group. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  10. "Bristol 2015 Ambassadors". Bristol 2015 - European Green Capital. Bristol 2015 Ltd. 14 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-11-14. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  11. "Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig: nature defender". Friends of the Earth. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. "Winners of the 2018 UK Awards for Biological Recording and Information Sharing Announced!". National Biodiversity Network. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  13. "Springwatch host Chris Packham's radical quest to end "the war on wildlife"". New Statesman. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  14. Rose, Laurence (23 September 2018). "The People's Walk for Wildlife". Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  15. "Life-long devotion to birds earns award". Chew Valley Gazette. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  16. "Why I love pre-loved, unloved and recycled". New Internationalist. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  17. "BBC One - The One Show, 28/01/2020". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  18. "Meet the 17-year-old bird watcher Mya Rose Craig who's pushing boundaries in conservation". ITV News. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  19. Sam Wollaston (2 November 2010). "TV review: The Trip, Coppers, The Little House, Twitchers: A Very British Obsession, Extreme Fishing with Robson Green". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  20. Khan, Jahid Husayn (22 Feb 2015). "পাখির জন্য মায়া". Prothom Alo (in Bengali).
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