Reports Database:
The Social Value of Explorer Cluband Young Rangers

Explorer Club and Young Rangers have significantly increased the environmental awareness and responsibility of participants. Young people are more resilient, and families are stronger. When this impact is extended to households who have barriers to accessing activities like these, the value is increased. The average value per person for lottery funded cohorts is higher than for core funded cohorts (24% higher on average). And specifically, in lower income households represented in the 2020/21 cohort, respondents valued their outcomes more than others.

1.1 Background

The North York Moors National Park Authority’s (NYMNPA) Outdoor Learning Team works with educational providers, families and young people within and outside of the National Park.

1.2 Scope

The analysis evaluated two of the Team’s activities:

• Explorer Club is for families to engage in environmental play and conservation tasks in the National Park. Children are usually aged between 4-11 and take part for 6 months.
• Young Rangers is a monthly club for young people aged 11-17 who are interested in learning about the work of the ranger service and how they too can practically help look after the National Park.

This report brings together five evaluations of these two projects. The evaluations took place from 2019 to 2023 with 2 distinct groups of cohorts, according to funding streams:

• Core funded cohorts: Two pilot projects were undertaken to engage with young people and families in helping them to understand and care for the National Park. These core funded projects have continued.
• Lottery funded cohorts: A grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has enabled families and young people, for whom there are barriers to engaging with the National Park, to participate in the projects.

The aims were to:

1. Evaluate the social value of the lottery funded cohorts; and
2. Contrast the results with core funded cohorts.

All five evaluations, therefore, followed the same method to enable comparisons. This report does not recommend any actions. It is simply an account of the social value. Business planning, strategic and management processes should conclude what actions should be taken now the value of stakeholders’ outcomes are known, the most important outcomes revealed and contrasts observed.