Helping young people feel welcome in nature is a critical first step to them caring and learning about the environment
North Kensington – in the shadow of Grenfell Tower – is one of the most socio-economic disadvantaged areas in England and has some of the highest levels of educational inequality. For many students, conventional classroom settings don’t motivate young people to engage in the lessons or help sustain their interest. Grow To Know, in partnership with a local secondary school in West London, North Kensington and the Natural History Museum, delivered a 6-week educational intervention in Autumn 2023 to a group of 12 mid-secondary school students. This project explored how experiential learning could engage young people least likely to feel that nature-based activities and science-learning are ‘for them’. The intervention involved the young people in the development of a garden on the school grounds and included both on-site and off-site educational experiences.
This project was funded as part of the 2022 Evolution Education Trust (EET) Challenge Fund. This Challenge Fund explored ways to improve appreciation of nature and biodiversity within communities facing economic or access challenges. EET collaborated with the British Science Association to deliver a wrap-around programme of support for all Challenge Fund project teams via a Community of Practice (CoP) model. Project leaders were brought together every three months to share insights, develop ideas and overcome common challenges. The CoP was also a platform for training in how to build, use and evaluate a Theory of Change. This helped the teams better communicate their goals, maximise learnings and set up their own impact measurement.
Lessons learned
The project helped reveal barriers that limit young people’s access to green spaces, showcased the importance of immersive learning, and stressed the need for flexibility and trust-based relationships with both young people and schools.
- An early finding of this project was that proximity does not equal familiarity. Even though there was easy local physical access to Holland Park, the students felt alienated and disconnected from that space – they did not feel welcome there. The young people first had to be introduced to observing, being comfortable around, and getting a feel for nature.
- Rather than launching directly into the unfamiliar territory of biodiversity and climate change, the project leaders first had to build a trust relationship with the students. A sense of mutual respect and shared interests created a ‘safe space’ for deep and personally reflective discussion. This investment in quality time was key to engagement and learning as the project progressed.
- The project trialled different learning engagements, with the one held in a classroom setting being the least effective. Young people felt that knowledge was being imposed upon them and that lack of personal context led them to switch off and become distracted. In contrast, immersive settings like the nearby Holland Park or the Natural History Museum provided a wide variety of points of interest and intrigue that the students could observe and comment upon. This kinaesthetic approach to learning (which emphasised experiential learning and exploration) resonated well with the students. It helped to provide ‘awe’ moments which can ‘soften up the edges’ of difficult issues, and to build a foundation upon which important discussions could be had.
“It is important that young people see that learning can be joyful, exciting and fun. A sense of wonder is a great basis for learning. Beauty and art connects people at a very human level, and you are then able to unpack and access things through that.”
Tayshan-Hayden Smith, Founder and Chief Executive, Grow to Know
- Building on the ‘safe space’ foundation, the project introduced familiar, inspiring, local people to work with the students throughout the project. These role models helped reinforce the notion that success is attainable via a ‘see-it-to-be-it’ type of engagement. This made tangible how the young people might themselves become important contributors to their community.
- A final critical learning and success factor for this project was to stay adaptable to the reality on the ground. Active listening and ongoing dialogue with students, teachers, and school staff were prioritised so that the intervention could be adapted to accommodate specific abilities and interests within the cohort. Setting goals, pre-planning and budgeting is, of course, important, but the team recommends not overdoing the pre-work to the point where it creates project rigidity. Be ready for, and plan in, time for project customisation as the work progresses.
Where next?
The project engaged mid-secondary school students to convert a previously disused green space on the school grounds into a versatile outdoor space where both curricular and extracurricular lessons can take place. The hope is for the garden to continue to be used by the school and local community as a central hub for learning, creativity, and cultural engagement. This nature-positive space can provide students with a focal point for hands-on exploration and discovery in areas of garden design and landscaping, environmental education, sustainability, and personal and community wellness.
