Spending time in nature has been proven to encourage creativity and mindfulness. Read how Jade is encouraging people to take advantage of nature's benefits for their wellbeing.
The Jadeite Project
Dr Jade Adams-White came up with the concept for the Jadeite Project in nature on a solo walk up Helvellyn Mountain in the Lake District. It was lockdown and she needed to get outdoors, so she challenged herself with the third highest mountain in the area.
As she was taking in the beautiful views, she was mindful of how good the trek made her feel in her body and how much she enjoyed the sense of accomplishment on the way down.
Jade has a background in psychology, and as such, her default is to research how and why different things impact us.
Being out in the outdoors has many benefits such as:
- Reducing the feeling of anxiety and generally having a positive impact on one’s mental health and wellbeing
- Increasing the feeling of connection to nature and other people
- Reducing blood pressure
- Causing people to perform better with cognitive tasks (Attention Restoration Theory)
- Increasing mindfulness by giving people the time and space to look inwards
In addition to the benefits we can gain from being out in the outdoors, Jade wants to share her love for the outdoors. With the Jadeite Project, she wants to give people the space to celebrate and appreciate their bodies in nature.
The Jadeite Project currently hosts Guided Walks for people to reconnect with nature and with themselves. She wants these walks to be an opportunity for people to celebrate their bodies in a space that removes the attention on social aesthetics, and to open up with people who may have similar experiences.
The Jadeite Project
Jade's Work With Children
“I get really passionate about what they can teach me”
Jade loves working with children and has had years of experience with them in both supportive and educational settings.
Due to the issue so many children face, needing of support for their wellbeing and having to wait for up to six months for professional support, Jade started a gardening club in her school.
In the ‘Feel Good Gardening Club’, children can appreciate nature however they’d like while Jade guides them through the experience with metaphors, such as weeding their negative thoughts out and sowing positive thoughts in.
Being dual heritage, Jade is passionate about bringing more representation for people of colour in the outdoors and nature communities.
Black and ethnic minority communities are not only less likely to live near green spaces, they are also more likely to experience barriers in receiving mental health support due to factors such as stigma and the lack of culturally sensitive treatment options.
Jade wants to demonstrate to the youth that these spaces can be accessible to all, and that there are different options and opportunities that can be considered for their mental wellbeing.
Jade's Journey With Hatch
“They really helped me build my confidence on how to run a business.”
Aside from logistically being able to get access to outdoor space for her project, Jade’s main barriers as a founder have been self-made due to a lack of confidence, and fear of rejection.
She has found that her journey with Hatch has been crucial in building her confidence as a founder.
Part of building this confidence was learning from the high and low experiences experts had with their businesses, and the knowledge that they could share due to these experiences.
She also loved being a part of other founders’ journeys with the feedback sessions from the start to end of the New Founders Launchpad Programme.
Jade’s plan for the Jadeite Project is to work alongside other organisations to set up school-based interventions lasting six weeks to support as many children as possible.
She wants to make these programmes sustainable by leaving a legacy, and promoting a champion at the schools who can continue the work when she leaves.
“It’s all well and good me doing it, but I want to have a lasting effect.”