Report for Ulster Wildlife: An evaluation of the Grassroots Challenge Project 2019-20

This report presents findings from an evaluation of Ulster Wildlife’s Grassroots Challenge Project, together with young people’s views, opinions and concerns about environmental issues and actions, which will be used to inform future work. The Grassroots Challenge project has been running since 2015 and this evaluation presents evidence from activities conducted between September 2019 and March 2020.
The Grassroots Challenge gives young people aged 11 – 24 the opportunity to gain essential skills, knowledge and training to take action for wildlife in their local area, whilst also improving their confidence, employability and well-being. The overall aim of the project is to link with established structures and groups to offer opportunities for young people to develop skills and knowledge and to design and deliver environmental projects that will enhance their local area and engage their communities in environmental action.
This report presents evidence that the Grassroots Challenge Project benefits the young people involved across all the evaluation statements, which represent the aims of the project. During the focus groups the majority of young people said they want to make a difference for nature but cited a lack of opportunities and/or the promotion of existing ones as a major issue. Many of the young people also explained that there should be more opportunities, publicised using a greater variety of mediums.