Community Environmental Projects and Youths Engagement: A Pathway to Sustainable Environmental Stewardship 1 0
Keywords:
Community environmental projects, youth engagement, environmental stewardship, tree planting, clean-up activities, conservation programmesAbstract
This study examined community environmental projects and youths’ engagement as a pathway to sustainable environmental stewardship among young people. The study specifically focused on community clean-up activities, tree planting initiatives, and community conservation programmes as key dimensions of community environmental projects. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which these environmental initiatives influence sustainable environmental stewardship among young people. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 3,250 young people from selected communities, while a sample of 350 respondents was drawn using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Community Environmental Projects and Sustainable Environmental Stewardship Questionnaire (CEPSESQ). The instrument was validated by experts and Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that community clean-up activities have a significant positive influence on sustainable environmental stewardship among young people (r = 0.61, p < 0.05). It was also found that tree planting initiatives significantly influence sustainable environmental stewardship (r = 0.67, p < 0.05). Furthermore, community conservation programmes were found to have a significant positive influence on sustainable environmental stewardship among young people (r = 0.69, p < 0.05). The study concluded that community environmental projects are effective pathways for promoting sustainable environmental stewardship among young people through experiential learning, active participation, and environmental awareness. It was recommended that government agencies, schools, and community organizations should strengthen and expand youth participation in environmental programmes such as clean-up exercises, tree planting, and conservation initiatives to enhance sustainable environmental development.
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