Young Manchester Evaluation
Young Manchester is a grant-making charity, funding the delivery of child and youth activities across Greater Manchester. The purpose of the evaluation was to establish the effectiveness of the grants made by the Young Manchester Youth and Play Fund.
Evaluation activities comprised a combination of surveys and youth participatory action research (YPAR) activities with representatives from funded organisations and youth participants. YPAR activities were delivered in collaboration with 32 young people who were trained as co-researchers. The knowledge gained through this evaluation informed Young Manchester’s future grant-making approach and attracted future investment in the charity, while the innovative methodological approach contributed to the evidence base for youth-led research and evaluation practices.
CCYJR’ expertise in youth-engaged research and the Centre’s focus on generating research with positive outcomes for young people aligned strongly with the evaluation aims and approach. In addition, this study piloted an innovative mixed-method, youth-engaged approach that enabled youth perspectives to be heard and addressed by Young Manchester and funded organisations, built leadership and research capacity among young people accessing funded programmes, and facilitated the development of a survey tool for the rigorous evaluation of youth experiences and outcomes of participation in youth play programmes.
A key aim of the project was to develop and trial an innovative, youth-engaged methodology that incorporated new digital, participatory, and creative methods and tools, centred youth perspectives and experiences, and built personal, creative, leadership, and research capacities among young people. The resulting report and associated resources additionally facilitated knowledge sharing across funded organisations to strengthen the delivery of youth and play programmes across Greater Manchester and beyond.