Thousands of disadvantaged youngsters discover nature for the first time with Field Studies Council 

A leading UK environmental education charity has helped nearly 4,000 students to get outside into the countryside, some for the very first time, as part of a major £4.5 million project. 

Field Studies Council was one of several key organisations which helped to deliver the 12-month long Generation Green 2 project. The project aimed to give young people from some of the most socially disadvantaged areas, a chance to visit national parks, national landscapes and sites of special scientific interest.

The initiative, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has enabled 26,663 young people to spend time outdoors. A newly published report states the impact of the project has been ‘profound’. 

Field Studies Council Centres in Cumbria and Shropshire welcomed young people

As part of its involvement, Field Studies Council welcomed nearly 4,000 young people to its eight field centres including those in Cumbria and Shropshire, after being awarded almost £800,000 of funding.

Key Stage 2 pupils from Thomas Gray Primary School in Liverpool visited Castle Head in Cumbria. Headteacher, Rachael Rimmer, said: “Our children got to enhance their personal development and build resilience which is one of our identified target areas. For many of the children it was the first time they had left Liverpool and climbed a mountain. There was an almost tangible feeling of awe as they shouted to staff to look at the beautiful views.”

Mark Castle, chief executive of Field Studies Council, said: “This project has again demonstrated the big impact that high quality outdoor learning can have on so many aspects of a young person’s life. For many it was a completely new experience, and for some it will be life changing. We are proud to have played our part in that.  

“When these young people visited our centres, we saw real improvements in their mental health, we saw their confidence grow and we watched their love of learning evolve. When you take learning outside, classroom subjects suddenly spark into life and this project gave learners a renewed sense of joy in their learning as well as time to run around in wide, open spaces and enjoy being children.”

Field Studies Council trips

Throughout the project, Field Studies Council, funded a mix of day and overnight trips for youngsters aged seven to 18. 

For many participants, these trips provided extraordinary first-time experiences and created memorable moments of discovery.

Sessions delivered by the charity combined curriculum learning with creative and reflective activities. These included environmental art, guided meditation and stargazing to help students feel connected to nature rather than just studying it. 

Generation Green 2 was the second project to be delivered by the Access Unlimited coalition which, as well as Field Studies Council, also comprises YHA (England & Wales) as the project lead and partners, The Outward Bound Trust, Scouts, Girlguiding, nine English National Parks, and the National Landscapes Association. 

The Generation Green 2 Celebration Report comes amid mounting evidence that nature-based learning is being squeezed out of children’s lives. 

Research from The Sutton Trust recently revealed that 53 per cent of senior leaders have been forced to divert pupil premium funding away from outdoor learning to cover shortfalls in core budgets. 

Field Studies Council has a number of programmes in place to ensure all young people have access to outdoor opportunities. This includes its Grants for Schools funding scheme.