Can exploring local nature help young people feel more at home after displacement? A new article published in People and Nature, “The place bonding potential of nature-based citizen science with refugee children and youth”, explores this question through the Water Rangers Twente project in Almelo, the Netherlands.
The study followed newly arrived children and teenagers from Ukraine as they investigated local rivers, ponds and canals. Their experiences suggest that taking part in citizen science helped them discover new places, build friendships, develop confidence and independence, and create positive memories of their new surroundings. Encounters with nature also evoked meaningful connections with life before displacement. The article highlights how nature-based citizen science can support connections with places and communities, and offers a framework to help design future projects with displaced youth.
Read the full article: http://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70425