We The Curious
Next Gen Earth was a collaborative, youth-led environmental engagement programme coordinated by ASDC and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, part of UKRI). Delivered by nine organisations across England, Scotland and Wales, the programme explored what can help young people from diverse backgrounds see a future for themselves in environmental science and research. Local projects combined place-based activities with opportunities to work alongside NERC researchers, environmental organisations and industry professionals.
Young people took part in a wide range of hands-on experiences, from VR coral reef dives and live Q&As with marine scientists to biodiversity gardening, COP-style debates, podcasts and community projects. Activities connected environmental science to issues that mattered to participants in their own communities, including flooding, biodiversity loss, water pollution, coastal degradation and litter. Working directly with researchers and professionals helped young people see how environmental science connects to everyday life, their own interests and the places they live.
The evaluation found that access and awareness are significant barriers to engagement. Many young people had limited opportunities or resources to take part in environmental activities and were unfamiliar with the term “environmental science”, even when they had strong interests in environmental issues. For some, negative experiences of science at school had also affected their confidence. The programme helped participants make connections between their existing interests, skills and environmental science, while providing positive experiences that challenged perceptions of who environmental science is for.
The findings also highlight the importance of agency, ownership and place-based engagement. Young people were most engaged when activities took place in spaces they felt comfortable in, used language that resonated with them, and connected to issues they cared about. Giving participants opportunities to co-design and lead activities, express themselves in different ways and see how their ideas could lead to real action helped position them as experts in their own lives, rather than simply recipients of information.
Read the full evaluation report to explore the findings and learning in more detail, or discover the case studies report for examples of the projects and experiences delivered by the nine partner organisations.
Evaluation Report
Case Studies Report
