During December many of our projects are coming to a close for the festive period and a bit of a break while the worst of winter sets in. Much of our attention turns to evaluating our programmes over the year. While we are still crunching the numbers and waiting for partners/participants to fill out surveys, I thought it would be nice to share some of the feedback across a couple of different programmes.
Green Angels: An all-girl programme working to develop friendships, enhance nature connection, make a tangible difference to the natural environment and enhance personal skills:
“I have learned new ways to connect with nature and myself and others. I have learned how to look after nature and embrace my surroundings” Young Person
“I have learned how to start fires, plant trees, make lots of friends and I have learned that what makes me the happiest is being in nature” Young Person
“The girls developed in confidence over the weeks, both in terms of their abilities to work with others and their own abilities with regards to the work being completed. They really bonded as a group and worked outside their peer group by the end of the block as well. It was so lovely to see them develop the social skills they will use for the rest of their lives.”Staff from referring school
Thrive: A programme providing respite from daily life through outdoor adventure, developing friendships, and personal support to enhance mental wellbeing:
“I think it is good I came here… because that enabled me to become friends with more people so that I didn’t feel entirely worthless….I feel a whole lot better than I did, which is good because I wasn’t feeling very great at all” Young Person
“I’m really happy because I can actually be myself around people and you use my pronouns and that makes me really happy that I can express myself” Young Person
“This has improved his confidence no end. He was full of stories and keen to share his experiences with the whole family. We have seen a rare difference in our son since the group” Parent