The Covid-19 pandemic saw an emphasis on people engaging more with the natural environment as many indoor settings remained closed throughout most of 2020 and the first half of 2021. As the country has begun to come to terms with living with the virus, many of the adaptions to how people live have endured.
Many youth groups and schools have adapted how they work with children and young people to offer more education opportunities outside, particularly for children in urban and disadvantaged communities who may otherwise struggle to access green spaces and nature.
However, the social distancing and infection control restrictions needed during the pandemic have presented significant challenges for the outdoor learning sector: outdoor activity centres were mothballed for many months, schools could not run residential or day trips, and playgrounds remained closed because of the risks posed. Some outdoor learning operators have gone bust or closed settings, while those that remain report demand not yet returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Despite these negative effects, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of children being able to access the natural environment to learn new skills and enhance their mental wellbeing, particularly for disadvantaged young people. It is why the government’s levelling up agenda and 25-year environment plan have included policies to improve access to outdoor learning opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
CYP Now’s special report on outdoor learning assesses the impact of the pandemic on provision and opportunities for young people, summarises key research and policies, and spotlights examples of projects that have adapted to deliver innovative and impactful work.
Click below to read more in CYP Now's Outdoor Learning Special Report:
Research evidence
Practice examples
