Learning Beyond the Classroom: How Nature is Transforming Alternative Education
Connect is Groundwork’s alternative education programme that supports young people aged 16 to 24 who experience social isolation, low confidence, or barriers to education and employment. Throughout 2025, Groundwork’s environmental educators delivered regular, structured outdoor sessions in woodland settings in Tameside & Oldham to help participants reconnect with nature, build practical skills, and develop confidence, resilience, and social connections.
Sessions took place twice a week and provided a safe, inclusive environment where young people could learn at their own pace while building positive relationships with peers and staff.
Activities and Approach
The programme in Tameside & Oldham delivered a wide range of hands-on, nature-based activities that encouraged learning through experience rather than traditional classroom methods.
These alternative learning activities included fire lighting, safe use of small hand tools, conservation and green skills tasks, plant and bird identification, den building, whittling, and cooking on open fires.
Sessions also built in time for rest and reflection, with opportunities to relax in hammocks and engage calmly with the woodland environment, harnessing the power of nature for individual health and wellbeing.
Kelly Francis, Green Skills Manager, explained the value of this approach:
“I believe that you learn with the whole body, and sitting still, writing and reading can be quite tricky for some people. Taking education outside of the classroom improves wellbeing and also improves people’s opportunities to learn.”
Benefits for Participants
Participants benefited both from the practical activities and from the informal, supportive atmosphere of the sessions. Many arrived at the project feeling withdrawn or anxious, with limited confidence and motivation. Over time, they began attending regularly, engaging with others, and taking pride in what they could achieve.
Kelly described the changes she observed:
“The changes we’ve been seeing in the young people have been really remarkable. Young people who didn’t want to leave the house were coming to the woods regularly, connecting with each other, and growing in confidence.”
Participants reported improvements in confidence, communication, and wellbeing. One participant reflected on the social environment and routine the project created:
“I’ve enjoyed the atmosphere. Everyone’s really nice. It gets me out, I wouldn’t be awake at this time if I wasn’t here.”
Another highlighted the impact on confidence and skills development:
“I’ve built my confidence a lot since being here. It lets me try new things, and I’ve enjoyed the communication it’s given me.”
Spending time outdoors also helped participants develop a stronger connection to nature and a sense of calm:
“I like being in nature. I enjoy it more now. Just being outside has made a big difference.”
Outcomes and Progression
The programme supported young people to take positive next steps following the programme. Participants progressed into further education, employment, or training, and some were supported through referrals into additional opportunities aligned with their interests.
One participant who had recently moved to the UK described how the project helped them prepare for work:
“I needed something to keep my hands busy, learn new experiences, and make new friends. After this, I’m going to college. These skills will help me.”
Another participant explained how the confidence gained supported future aspirations:
“After this, I want to go into childcare. I’m also doing acting, and confidence helps with acting, so this has helped me a lot.”
Conclusion
The Connect programme in Tameside & Oldham is a great demonstration of alternative education for young people who did not thrive in traditional classroom settings. By combining Green Skills, wellbeing support, and meaningful social connection, this programme helped participants build confidence, resilience, and a stronger sense of purpose, outcomes which will lead to improved overall life chances.
Participants left the programme with:
- Increased confidence and self-belief
- Practical green skills and environmental awareness
- Improved mental health and wellbeing
- Clearer aspirations and progression routes
Connect Tameside & Oldham showed how connecting young people with nature could also reconnect them with themselves, their communities, and their future opportunities. Through inclusive outdoor learning and supportive relationships, the project created lasting positive outcomes for young people across Tameside and Oldham.
This project has been made possible thanks to funding from the GMCA and the Worker’s Education Association.
