Whose unfamiliar landscape? Reflecting on the diversity of young people’s encounters with nature and the outdoors

Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. (2022) Whose unfamiliar landscape? Reflecting on the diversity of young people’s encounters with nature and the outdoors. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. (eds.) Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, pp. 551-569. ISBN 9783030944599 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_23)

Abstract

This final chapter considers the practice-based implications of this book, whilst also pointing to future directions for research in unfamiliar landscapes. Bringing together a diversity of young people’s experiences, this book has forwarded a critical reflection on whether the work of environmental education and outdoor activities, and more broadly interventions with young people in unfamiliar spaces, is working for young people themselves. This chapter critically reflects on the term ‘unfamiliar landscapes’, how it can be productive, but also potentially restrictive in addressing young people’s access to the outdoors. It questions the kinds of landscapes to which young people are typically introduced through interventions, and the role of adults, coaches, guides and parents in these interventions. The chapter brings to the fore the injustices and discomforts that young people experience in unfamiliar landscapes, whilst also offering a hopeful account of how thinking through unfamiliarity and familiarity might address and challenge now-normative ideas about the ‘nature disconnect’ for young people.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Dunkley, Dr Ria
• Authors: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H., and Dunkley, R. A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• ISBN: 9783030944599
• Published Online: 17 June 2022