Our Impact

What we achieved in 2024

“It makes the week much better.”

If, in all our actions, we can make the week ‘much better’ then we have done something special. That might be much better for young people participating in projects, for the greenspaces that they help to conserve or for the volunteers that take something positive from selflessly giving their time – we hope that this Impact Report shows that it can be for all three.

2024 felt like a special year and at the heart of that were the amazing young people we get to work with each day – so full of fun and potential in a world that keeps throwing challenges their way.

A big thank you to all those young people for making each week in 2024 ‘much better.’

Download the PDF report here

young people took part in our programmes

programme sessions (2203 hours)

volunteer training sessions held

awards earned including DofE, John Muir, Junior Forrester, Saltire and Hi5

volunteer hours supporting young people or undertaking conservation tasks

…of trees planted, biscuits consumed & hot chocolate drunk around the fire

At the end of nearly every session, our project coordinators are buzzing with tales of nature connection, fun or touching moments and personal achievement.

From the little moments to the high-level organisation statistics, we are delighted by what we have achieved:

Environmental awareness and stewardship

of Green Volunteer participants said they felt more aware of wider environmental issues

of Skylarks participants increased their understanding and appreciation of nature

of teachers agree that their pupils have increased their use of greenspaces and have a greater appreciation and care for nature

Young people wellbeing, confidence and skills

of Skylarks participants showed improved wellbeing

of Thrive participants enhanced their mental wellbeing

of young people involved in a Green Shoots project showed enhanced teamwork skills

of young people taking part in Thrive increased their social skills

Influencing and enabling outdoor learning

of teachers involved in Green Schools strongly agree they have greater confidence, skills and knowledge to use green spaces for outdoor learning

of teachers state that Green Schools session have been fun and have enhanced pupil confidence and well being

Feedback

Feedback – we really value what people tell us about our programmes:

“I have learnt to start fires, plant trees, make lots of friends and I have learned that what makes me the most happy is being in nature”

Thrive participant

“Grace comes home muddy, exhausted and full of chat…after such a difficult year for so many, home learning and teenagers being unable to interact closely, Green Team has been an absolute saviour!”

Parent

“I was amazed at the confidence boost (being outdoors) gave learners who were quieter, and how it showed me skills in the learners that indoor activities may not have shown me previously”

Teacher

An example of our work

Here is an overview of a Thrive project we ran with pupils from St. Andrews High School and CREW – a harm reduction and outreach charity. It gives a flavour of how we help connect young people to nature, others and themselves:

The programme took place at Muiravonside country park, involving a group of S3 and S4 pupils who faced substantial issues in their lives and who didn’t engage meaningfully with the school.

Each session involved a conservation task, such as tree-felling, in the morning with students trained and trusted with the use of sharp and heavy tools. Through each task the students were given an understanding of the value of these tasks for wildlife and the environment.

The conservation task was followed by a peer-led session around a campfire focussing on risk taking behaviours and coping strategies. These sessions provided a safe space to share and support individuals around personal experiences such as substance abuse and issues at home or school.

In the afternoon, the group focussed on nature skills such as fire lighting, food foraging and crafts as well as enjoying time alone in nature for mindfulness.

Each of the young people completed wellbeing self-assessment forms, with all of them recording significant improvements over the duration of the project. One pupil with truanting issues in school, but a 100% attendance record on the project said:

“It gave me more confidence and my ability to work as a team increased…I loved being outside. It’s better than school for me – I’m not claustrophobic but outside is so free”

Group of young people on the Thrive project carrying out conservation tasks

The sessions were attended by staff from St Andrews High School who were able to hear first-hand the young people’s thoughts, feelings and concerns. The High School Partnership Officer stated:

“It’s been such a great project. It’s just been so magical. This project has made such a difference. I’m feeling emotional as today is the first day that J and C have spoken, and I have worked with them for years. And J smiled, I have never seen him smile.”