Investing in insight - funding project evaluation
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Endowment funding case study - research, development and innovation.
Identifying the need
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people in the Highlands often arrived carrying trauma, loss, and uncertainty. Many faced barriers to feeling safe and included in their new communities, and opportunities to connect with nature were limited.
Staff from Comraich - a partnership service including Aberlour Children’s Charity, Barnardo’s Scotland, Gateway, Right There, and Highland Council - identified the need for new ways to nurture wellbeing, resilience, and belonging.
The challenge on the ground
Many of these young people arrive in the Highlands thousands of miles from their homelands, navigating the complexities of the asylum process while trying to build a sense of belonging.
In spring 2025, conservation charity Trees for Life invited eight young people, supported by the Comraich service for separated asylum-seeking young people, to take part in a Rewild and Recover residential week at Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in Glenmoriston. Amid the beauty of the restored Caledonian forest, they experienced community, connection, and nature in new ways.
Conventional evaluation and feedback methods risked excluding their voices, and there was limited evidence on whether nature-based projects like Trees for Life’s Rewild and Recover programme could offer meaningful benefits for mental health and inclusion.
How we responded
To capture the impact of the week, the Charity awarded £4,700 through its Research, Development and Innovation grants programme to NHS Highland’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to deliver a project evaluation.
Recognising the barriers posed by language, the team chose creative methods over written questionnaires or feedback forms.
Local artist and Trees for Life volunteer Jane Frere worked alongside the young people to develop a photographic record of their experiences.
The change we achieved
Following the evaluation, an exhibition titled Look to See was co-designed with the young people and shown at Eden Court, Inverness, as part of Refugee Week, 16-22 June 2025.
“The resulting exhibition - co-designed with the young people - offers the public a rare and intimate window into the personal impact of this nature-based journey. It invites viewers to consider not only the stories of those seeking sanctuary, but also the potential of green spaces and creative expression to nurture resilience, hope, and connection.”
Jane Frere
The journey ahead
This project is part of a wider effort to understand the long-term value of creative, nature-based interventions for mental health. The insights gathered through this evaluation will inform future Rewild and Recover programmes and broaden understanding of how this form of intervention can support the wellbeing
and inclusion of vulnerable young people across the Highlands.
Thanks to the support of our donors, the Charity has helped ensure the voices of young asylum seekers are
captured authentically and meaningfully. The insights gained will inform future opportunities, making it possible for more young people to benefit from nature, creativity, and community in the Highlands.
“Projects like Rewild and Recover are hugely important as they offer more than just a break from the routine - they create space for healing, identity, and connection. This exhibition is not only a testament to the strength of the young people involved, but also a compelling example of what’s possible when therapeutic practice is grounded in community, nature and co-creation."
Dr Nick Barnes, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with NHS Highland CAMHS and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen.