Researchers find that disadvantaged young people benefit from supported nature activities

Open University (OU) researchers have produced new evidence which suggests that disadvantaged and vulnerable young people benefit from supported nature-focused activities.

Dr Jitka Vseteckova (Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies) and Dr Joanna Horne (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), are authors on a co-produced article titled: Ecotherapy and out-of-classroom learning for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people: an evaluation of a project in England, which has just been published in the journal, Environmental Education Research.

The paper is the result of a long-term inclusive research engagement and co-production between the OU and the Froglife Trust, funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Benefits of ecotherapy versus pill prescribing

The OU researchers decided to undertake this research because they felt that research into the benefits of activities, which they call Ecotherapeutic out-of-classroom environmental education (EE) programmes, is limited.

Jenny Tse-Leon, Head of Conservation and Impact at the Froglife Trust and co-author on the paper said:

“We have been told in the past that there is a lack of hard evidence to demonstrate the impact of ecotherapy/ participating in nature-based activities on the participants who take part.

“Especially in the context of social prescribing where GPs would like data similar to that provided by pharmaceutical companies to demonstrate that rather than prescribing a pill once a day for six weeks patients could instead come on one of these sessions once a week and get the same benefits.”

Benefits of Green Pathway's intervention

The OU researchers teamed up with Froglife to look at the impact of the Green Pathway programme, run by Froglife, on 111 young people, aged 10 to 25. The Green Pathway programme is designed to help young people take part in activities linked to wildlife and conservation in their local community.

The research compared young people participating in Green Pathway to young people not participating, before and after the Green Pathway intervention, on their preference for being outdoors and physically active, their knowledge and appreciation of amphibians and reptiles, and their perceived capabilities (i.e. confidence, social skills, behaviour, positive outlook).

The research findings showed significant increases across all measures for those taking part in the programme, suggesting that programmes such as Green Pathway substantively support vulnerable and disadvantaged young people’s opportunities to enjoy nature and the associated benefits to their health, wellbeing and life outcomes.

OU researcher, Dr Jo Horne said:

“As a result of participating in the Green Pathways programme, vulnerable and disadvantaged young people feel more confident and are better able to talk to other people and work in groups, are better able to manage their behaviour and are more positive about their futures.

“They also develop an appreciation for nature-based learning that extends beyond the programme itself.”