Evaluating the implementation of the youth‐led emotional well‐being project ‘Getting it Together’
| Date | 01 August 2008 |
| Pages | 16-25 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729200800004 |
| Published date | 01 August 2008 |
| Author | Kathryn Meade,Dhammica Rowel,Margaret Barry |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
This study reports on the evaluation of a youth-led initiative on the promotion of emotional well-being
among young people aged 16–25 years. Over a six month period,the Getting it Together project
worked with a group of 12 young people from both the Republic and Northern Ireland in building
their understanding of emotional well-being and developing a youth friendly,needs-led resource.
Employing a mix of research methods, including participatory methods, this evaluation documents the
process of actual project development, partnership working and overall experience and the impact
of project participation for the young people. Following the development of the resource, its pilot
implementation by the peer educators with 58 young people in the region was also evaluated.
The evaluation findings indicate that the key objectives of the project were achieved and that
it resulted in an intense,positive and productive experience for the participating young people ,which
enhanced their understanding of emotional well-being. A resource package was successfully
developed and designed with direct input from the young people, and was assessed by their peers
to be youth friendly.The young people were successfully trained to deliver the resource to their
peers, who assessed very positively both the resource and their experience of the training.The
implications of the evaluation findings for developing this peer-led initiative are discussed.
Evaluating the implementation
of the youth-led emotional
well-being project
‘Getting it Together’
Kathryn Meade
Researcher
Dhammica Rowel
MA Student
Margaret Barry
Head of Department
Department of
Health Promotion,National
University of Ireland Galway,
Ireland
Correspondence to:
Professor Margaret Barry
Health Promotion
Research Centre
Department of
Health Promotion
Clinical Science Institute
National University of
Ireland Galway
University Road
Galway
Ireland
margaret.barry@nuigalway.ie
EVALUATION
16 journal of public mental health
vol 7 • issue 1
This paper presents the findings from
the evaluation of a youth-led
initiative on the promotion of positive
mental health among young people
aged 16–25 years. Over a six month
period, the Getting it Together project worked with
a group of 12 young people from both the Republic
and Northern Ireland in building their
understanding of emotional well-being and
developing a youth friendly, needs-led resource.
This project was developed under the auspices of
the CAWT (Co-operation and Working Together)
Mental Health Sub-Group, which embraces four
health boards/authorities in the border region
between the Republic and Northern Ireland and
has a dedicated function in relation to mental
health. The project, which was designed as a cross
border initiative, was funded by the European
Union Programme for Peace and Reconciliation
(Peace II). The National Children’s Bureau (NCB)
was commissioned to undertake the
implementation of this youth-led initiative,
working in partnership with a group of young
people who were already engaged in youth
participation initiatives in the CAWT area. The
findings from the evaluation of the process and
impact of this project on the participating young
people and the extent to which the project
achieved its aims and objectives in general, are
reported in this paper.
© Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
Keywords
emotional well-being
peer-led programme
participatory evaluation
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