NERCOUTE Mapping Futures: Empowering Young People from Underrepresented Communities in Environmental Science

This project creates an inclusive space where young people from minoritised ethnic communities can identify local environmental concerns, connect them to environmental science and develop the skills and knowledge to engage meaningfully with their environment. By participating in this process, students will gain an awareness of environmental science as a field they have both the right and capability to engage in, helping them navigate what can often be an exclusionary discipline. Using a participatory approach, the project ensures young people shape the research direction and dissemination of findings. Key choice points allow for meaningful student involvement, recognising that participatory research can reinforce inequalities unless designed to actively distribute influence. This approach emphasises co-creation, experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration. The project objectives, which will be addressed in four Work Packages, are to: Increase representation of minoritised communities in environmental science by engaging 16–19-year-old students. Empower minoritised communities through environmental education by equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to address local environmental challenges through interactive workshops, fieldwork and partnerships with community organisations. Establish a long-term partnership between Kingston University, Haringey Sixth Form College and Selby Trust to support sustained engagement in environmental education and community-led research. Critically evaluate the project’s impact, efficacy, and scalability for future widening participation initiatives. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is central to this work. Structural barriers exclude minoritised communities from green spaces, environmental engagement, and career pathways in environmental science. By amplifying student voices and addressing power dynamics, the project promotes equitable engagement and long-term participation. Partnerships are critical to the project’s success. The collaboration between Kingston University, Haringey Sixth Form College and Selby Trust ensures alignment with community needs. Effective partnerships require clear expectations, defined leadership roles and open discussions on power imbalances. A robust evaluation framework will assess impact and scalability. Surveys and focus groups will track student engagement, knowledge gains, and perceptions at each stage. A final project team review will identify successes and areas for refinement, ensuring insights can inform future widening participation initiatives. This project creates an inclusive, participatory space for young people from minoritised communities to explore environmental challenges, build skills through experiential learning, and see themselves as future contributors to environmental science. By embedding equity, diversity and inclusion throughout, the project empowers students to shape both the research process and its outcomes. A strong partnership between Kingston University, Haringey Sixth Form College, and Selby Trust underpins the initiative, which will be evaluated for its impact, effectiveness, and potential to inform scalable models for widening participation in environmental science.