Finding Your Tribe! Participatory Evaluation of Co-Creation With Children and Young People in Support of Environmental Action

Through participatory evaluation research, this study examines the experiences and perspectives of children and young people engaged in a democratic innovation—a citizens’ assembly on biodiversity loss—and a subsequent initiative to co-create educational resources. The research explores how participation and co-creation can empower children as active agents of change in environmental action and assesses the value of participatory evaluation for understanding these processes. This research is timely because children and young people across the world are increasingly voicing their concerns about climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, and advocating for urgent action. Yet despite extensive research on youth environmental action, their perspectives, experiences and evaluation of participatory processes and the impact of their involvement remain underexplored, highlighting the value of youth participatory evaluation in informing practice, enhancing engagement and supporting action. This paper addresses this gap in the growing body of literature on youth participation in democratic processes, co-creation and research, drawing on participatory evaluation research to enhance our understanding of the processes and outcomes. Recognizing the prominent role of youth in the environmental justice movement, the study investigates innovative methods that empower children and enhance their individual and collective efficacy. The research indicates that children value the opportunity to participate and co-create as they feel best placed to say what their peers want and need, and they report a strong sense of agency gained from participation in such processes. These findings offer methodological insights for researchers and practitioners regarding youth participation in environmental initiatives and in broader research and governance processes. This paper also highlights the potential of engaged research and participatory evaluation approaches to bridge theory and practice as a dynamic, two-way process, capable of producing insights that advance academic understanding and have actionable value for those involved.