5/5/2021 Belfast Hills Bright Future EVALUATION REPORT Lizzy Pinkerton BELFAST HILLS PARTNERSHIP 1 Belfast Hills Bright Future Project Evaluation 2021 Content Page No. Introduction 3 The Evaluation Background 4 Quantitative Outcomes 5 Qualitative Outcomes 6 Delivery Changes/Lessons 15 Programme Management, staffing and Finances 16 Youth Consultation Focus Group 17 Case Studies 21 Project by Project evaluation 48 Legacy & Conclusions 169 2 Introduction The Belfast Hills Partnership was one of 31 programmes across the whole of the UK who had the opportunity to take part in the ‘Our Bright Future’ movement funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and overseen by the Wildlife Trusts. The Our Bright Future programme (OBF) is a forward-thinking social movement that’s about supporting young people so that they can lead progressive change in their communities and local environment. It aims to tackle environmental issues and the lack of opportunity for young people by using one problem to help another. Ultimately, it’s about unleashing the potential of young people, so they can make a big, positive impact and become an unstoppable force for good. Overall programme outcomes are: 1. participation in the Our Bright Future programme will have positive impacts on young people equipping them with the skills, experience and confidence to lead environmental change 2. the Our Bright Future programme will have positive impacts on the environment and local communities 3. the Our Bright Future programme will influence change and create a legacy 4. the Our Bright Future programme will utilise an effective partnership working and a youth- led approach, leading to stronger outcomes for young people and the environment The aim of the Belfast Hills Bright Future project is to build on the previous Belfast Hills Partnership Landscape Partnership Scheme project and undertake a wide scope of programmes to facilitate infrastructure improvements, community involvement and site action, via school and youth outreach work. Two members of staff were recruited to undertake the work – a Youth Outreach Officer and a Youth Engagement Officer. Specific Belfast Hills targets are: 1. 2,000 school age children per year will be involved in the programme 2. 700 school children per year engaged on a regular basis 3. 1,300 school children would benefit from one off activities and teacher education The Belfast Hills Bright Future programme started in January 2016 and will run to the end of December 2021. This evaluation report focuses on the period of 2016 to 2020. 3 The Evaluation Background This evaluation report pulls together the various quantitative and qualitative data collected over the past 5 years of the scheme along with the findings from a focus group of previous participants to reflect on their time with the Belfast Hills Partnership. Case studies collected throughout the project have also been collated providing snap shots of the tasks young people were involved in, along with what they gained from the experience. Data collection over the duration of the scheme has taken many different forms depending on the activity, age of the participant, their level of involvement (one off or long term), their own ability level and the time available. These have included: Quantitative data recorded: • Number of participants • Demographic information about participants • Activities carried out e.g. number of trees planted, wildflower areas created • Qualifications obtained through the scheme • Any other outputs Qualitative data recorded: • Teacher/leader feedback forms • Youth feedback forms • Youth consultation exercises e.g. staff led workshops, peer filming of thoughts post activity • Outcomes flower exercises before and after long term participation • Collecting quotes, both written and spoken during activities • Recording observed outcomes • Case studies written by the young people themselves This evaluation also looks at each individual project area undertaken through the scheme and looks at its specific outputs and outcomes against its aims and objectives. Other factors noted were volunteer time, donations in kind, people involved, changes that may be made if doing it again along with future recommendations, feedback and publicity. 4 Quantitative Outcomes The key quantitative data is summarised in the tables below. Year School Children School Children Total number Post school Overall Regular One off of school aged young total involvement involvement aged young people young people involvement people 2016 587 1336 1923 152 2075 2017 1403 635 2038 570 2608 2018 1803 710 2513 1010 3523 2019 702 1710 2412 648 3060 2020 240 136 376 385 761 TOTALS 4735 4527 9262 2765 12027 This is over 2000 more young people than the total project target. Accreditations Male/Female Ethnic minority Background Reside in top 20% most gained /Other deprived areas of NI 54% Male 2.7% 32% 647 46% Female (NI average 0.85%) Area Length Environmental Improvements 2016-2020 (m²) (m) woodlands planted 28175 woodland management e.g. tree maintenance, tree thinning etc. 8716 meadow planted 2209 meadow management e.g. raking, strimmed etc. 5458 scrub cleared e.g. gorse removal, bramble cleared, ragwort pulled 59786 invasive species cleared 5772 hedgerows planted 2307 hedge management e.g. weeding etc. 633 1459 paths cleared, maintained, created (colin allotments) 3366 new fence 34 habitat creation/management e.g. ponds cleared, lizard habitat management 620 litter picks 97093 Spring bulbs planted 12 5 Qualitative Outcomes The Belfast Hills Partnership scheme is one of 31 different projects across the UK. While each project will often have a different main focus/outcome, together they have had a collective impact on all four of the programme outcomes. For the Belfast Hills Bright Future Outcome 1 was its primary focus, with activities touching on the other outcomes. Outcome one - Participation in the Our Bright Future programme has had positive impacts on young people equipping them with the skills, experience and confidence to lead environmental change. Positive impacts have been broken down into the following 6 categories/areas: 1) Confidence 2) Environmental knowledge 3) Increased well-being 4) Communication skills 5) Leadership skills 6) Connection to wild places (attitudes and behaviours) When obtaining feedback from teachers/youth leaders about what their young people benefited from, we often received a 100% positive response about all aspects. In reality this may reflect the enthusiasm and buy in from the teacher/leader as much as the impact upon the young person. However, it still indicates that the project had a very positive impact in the young people’s lives and was fully supported and appreciated by their teachers/leaders. The evaluation records for each project shows positive impacts of the scheme in much greater detail, however within this section a couple of key quotes have been pulled out to illustrate the effectiveness of the scheme in these 6 categories. Confidence "The boys felt a great sense of pride in their work & the fact that they have left a positive mark on their school landscape. Their confidence increased as they had achieved something very positive and had hard evidence of this. Such evidence is not always immediately available to pupils in the classroom.” Mary Murray St Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School “I learned how to budget, how to work as part of a successful team and the workings of a project from beginning to end. I believe this will be very beneficial for future job projects.” Nathan McIlwrath talking about his project on Edmund Rice School’s wildlife area 6 Environmental knowledge “Our pupils really benefitted from taking part in the John Muir….the pupils’ knowledge of the Belfast hills and its wildlife was greatly enhanced through the experience. The pupils live in a built-up urban area and many of our pupils would have limited experience of wild areas. They may recognise these areas nearby but needed help to appreciate the hidden secrets and importance of these spaces. Before participating in the John Muir award some of the pupils knew very little about nature, things that most of us take for granted. The pupils were fascinated by the interesting pieces of information they gained on the hikes. They particularly loved the hike up Cave Hill; they were blown away by the view from the top, none of our pupils had been on the Cave Hill before”. St Colms High School Students have a greater understanding of what is right on their doorstep. Thanks to Belfast Hills Partnership they also have a greater understanding of the role that the natural world has to play within the community. Students have also gained a respect for wild places and the animals that live there. Great examples of this can be seen through how students now react to wild animals. Lee Kelly, St Louise’s Comprehensive Increase well being “Parents have outlined to us how pupils have developed socially, how the award scheme has undoubtedly increased their personal development and how it has encouraged their awareness, understanding and responsibility of their local environment. The boys have been out walking in all weathers and often covering distances of 6 to 7 miles and, as I'm sure the parents will corroborate, they go home at the end of the day exhausted but buzzing!” St Gerard’s Special School “Being out in nature and making new friends has significantly improved my mental health during lockdown. I also don't drive so I've been cycling to all of the activities across Belfast which has been very helpful for my physical fitness.” Ryan Fernando Communication skills “Because of the John Muir Award I feel like I’m much more confident at speaking my own opinion, I had never been part of an ideas workshop before and never had the chance to been in control of a project. I feel that I am also better at listening and working as a team”.