Youth on Health (YOH!)

BASIC INFORMATION

Case study date: May 2006

Local authority in which project based: Leeds

Date started: January 2002

Type of organisation: Healthy Schools Initiative

Brief description, including aims and objectives

Youth on Health (YOH!) is part of the Leeds Education Healthy Schools Initiative and supports the citizenship curriculum. It aims to provide a city wide forum on health run by and for young people recruited from primary and secondary schools working with Leeds Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Leeds Healthy Schools Standard (LHSS), giving them opportunities to identify health related issues within their schools and bring about positive change to improve their health. Pupils represent their school and are supported through YOH! to become ambassadors for change and making a difference.

Collaboration - details of lead agency and other partners

YOH! is a partnership between The Project West Yorkshire Youth Association, Education Leeds Healthy School Standards, schools, Leeds Primary Care Trusts and.

Its steering group represents all the partners including Healthy Schools, school nurses, the youth service, and various PCT departments.

Funding

Funded by Leeds Primary Care Trust, Leeds Healthy Schools, Leeds Children's Fund, Leeds Youth Service and the Project West Yorkshire Youth Association. Funding is on a yearly basis.

Groups raise funds for individual pieces of work, such as DVDs or leaflets. Past funders include PCTs, Drug Action Team and Mental Health.

Staffing

YOH! sessions are facilitated by two or three members of staff from the project, depending on the size of group or specialist activity. Staff can be either core or sessional.

NATURE OF PROVISION

Which groups of young people does the project work with and why?

There are six YOH! groups, five based within the five Children Leeds administration 'wedges' for primary aged pupils, and one central group for secondary school representatives held in the city centre. Each school involved in Leeds Healthy School Standard has the opportunity to sends two representatives, and each group can accommodate between 22 and 26 members. There are currently over 280 schools actively involved in the Healthy School Standards.

Over the past academic year there have been over 130 YOH! members aged 8 - 18. They represent the broad diversity of Leeds, both in terms of ethnicity and ability. Schools predominately send representatives in pairs, one male and one female.

How was the need for the project identified, and by whom?

YOH! was established in 2002 to support the Healthy Schools Standards. The forum initially had 22 members from schools working with the LHSS. As more schools engaged with the Standard, YOH! began expanding to involve more schools and be more representative. Following a pilot programme, 'wedge based' YOH! groups for primary aged children were established, to provide a separate space from the central group for secondary school representatives.

How do young people become involved? What, if any, commitment do you ask for?

Members of YOH! groups are nominated by their schools or parent organisation. Some of them represent their school council or healthy school forum. Members are required to attend 6 meetings a year - two each term held during the school day - and communicate ideas back to the representative body.

What are the main approaches used and activities offered?

YOH! meetings aim to facilitate discussion on health and health-related issues among members, forming part of the citizenship agenda. Each group chooses a topic or topics they want to see improvements in and explores these through creative methods. Each session concludes with an action plan, identifying what changes need to be made, what action they can take themselves and who could help or support them in their schools and communities. Action plans are based on the SMART model to assist them to set and meet realistic goals, ie. 'Specific', 'Measurable', 'Attainable', 'Relevant' and 'Time-bound'. Individual YOH! members feed back to their schools or parent organisations, through talking with teachers, the school council or assemblies. Some run competitions or ask for volunteers to involve more of their peers.

All YOH! groups feed back to schools and partners through formal reports, newsletters, website and information leaflets.

Members are encouraged to take on an advocacy role as part of their work and have been involved in fundraising activity to produce leaflets and DVDs in order to highlight issues and possible solutions. Members have also been involved in campaigning for children and young people to live a healthier life through the 'Be Healthy' campaign, challenging young people to focus on doing 'just one thing well' in key areas of emotional and physical well being and healthy eating.

Annual young delegate events provide an opportunity for individual groups to meet with local decision makers eg . head teachers, school governors, school nurses, school council members and health professionals. They are hosted, planned and facilitated by individual YOH! groups, which identify issues based on local needs.

City wide events provide an opportunity for all YOH! groups to come together and achieve a greater impact by focusing on city wide issues and meet decision makers, such as chief executives, local councillors and members of scrutiny panels.

Existing links with PCTs and other partners, for instance taking part in consultations, provide opportunities to influence practice and service provision. Examples include informing the Leeds Children and Adolescent Mental Health pathway, the Electoral Commission and taking part in the design of the 'childhood obesity strategy for Leeds'.

How are young people involved in shaping the project/programme?

YOH! groups choose their own topics for action. They identify who has power and influence within their schools and communities and work out how they can influence them, deciding which messages to share and how to explore them through creative mediums. YOH! members take an active role in planning and facilitating delegate events, both local and city wide.

How does the project respond to the needs of different young people, particularly the most marginalised?

YOH! encourage schools and parent organisations to send representatives who they feel would benefit from informal education opportunities, and who perhaps would not normally be considered.

Group work and sharing responsibilities and tasks helps support individual members and their needs.

OUTCOMES OF WORK

How do young people benefit from their involvement in the project?

Members of YOH! report an increased awareness of health issues, and improvements in self-confidence and self-esteem as a result of their involvement. Tangible improvements to their schools allow them to see the results of their action. The initiative also gives young people opportunities to develop the skills for active involvement in decision making and to network with other children and young people.

How do other young people, organisations or the wider community benefit from the project?

Schools involved in YOH! have benefited through a range of health related improvements around themes including emotional well-being, healthy eating in schools and the environment. Specific examples include getting a lollypop person instead of a zebra crossing, changes to play times, introducing play zones, recycling arrangements, development of wildlife areas, healthier school dinners and tuck shops and installation of new litter bins. The initiative has also resulted in increased awareness of health and health related issues, citizenship and politics.

Does the project contribute to community cohesion?

Through mixing pupils from across the city, children and young people are able to meet with individuals from different backgrounds and cultures, sometimes for the first time. This mixing provides the opportunity to share good practice across schools.

How are young people's progress and achievements measured and recorded?

At the start of each session, each pair shares progress on their action plan and the task they set themselves and any other improvements or changes that have occurred. The project provides accreditation opportunities through Youth Train, OCN accredited scheme.

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS

How is the project evaluated and by whom?

Each YOH! Session is evaluated by the group, through a range of evaluation and feedback activities, such as ranking games, smiles, frowns, and traffic lights. The whole year is evaluated in the last session through a range of activities that encourage the young people to reflect on their experiences and what they have gained, enjoyed or would improve. Schools evaluate YOH's impact through an annual questionnaire. The annual report reflects on the past financial year, highlighting positives and negatives and possible ways forward. The groups' recommendations are listened to and where possible acted upon. Where it is not possible to implement the changes they recommended, they receive feedback about the reasons.

The steering group scrutinises YOH! providing the annual strategic plan, ensuring that targets are met and that YOH! continues to meet Every Child Matters, Healthy School Standards and PCT outcomes.

What are the findings of any evaluations (including Ofsted inspections) to date?

Findings have been positive, young people enjoy attending YOH! and feel they have benefited from the experience. Schools state that the programme has benefited individuals, who have grown in confidence, social skills and knowledge, as well as helping schools to create a healthier environment and to meet their targets and objectives. YOH! involvement has been cited within Ofsted reports and is used for evidence within Investors in Pupils, Healthy School Standard and participation and citizenship.

What changes/developments have occurred - or are planned - as a result of evaluation?

As a result of feedback from schools, programme administration was changed, with a reduction in the amount of paper work sent to schools and the development of a newsletter. Feedback from young people has increased the range of creative methods used to explore and gain an understanding of topics.

What factors help the work?

The partnership approach to the programme, utilising everyone's skills and knowledge has ensured its success. The flexible nature of the programme using informal education and creative methods, means individual needs can be supported and participation promoted.

What factors hinder the work?

Transport issues - getting young people to the venue.
Continuity of group members - schools and members remembering meetings.

PARTNERSHIP/MULTI-DISCIPLINARY WORKING

What other agencies do you work with?

Through the development of the Be Healthy Challenge, agencies involved in children and young people's services came together to support the development of the Be Healthy Toolkit. These agencies have supported YOH!, with information and access to additional funding. They include the Youth Service, Leeds Children's Fund, Arts@Leeds, Leeds City Council, Children Leeds, Healthy Promotion, Leisure Services, Parks and Country side, Street Scene - Environmental Health, dieticians, school nurses, Walk on Wednesday campaign, CAMHS, PPI staff, cycling routes and paediatric student nurses and doctors.

When working in partnership, what is the distinctive contribution of your organisation/project?

The Project West Yorkshire Youth Association facilitates the 36 + sessions a year, administers the programme and provides access to creative methods and specialists, as well as knowledge and experience of a range of participatory methods. The Project also encourages members to participate in other opportunities across the city.

Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners?

Partnership working is key to the project's success, allowing organisations to contribute using their strengths and share knowledge across a range of statutory and voluntary sector organisations.

STRATEGIC IMPACT

Do you consider this project to be innovative?

The programme is innovative in bringing together a range of stakeholders interested in improving the health of children and young people, from both statutory and voluntary sectors. It provides children and young people with a platform to voice their ideas, and shares responsibility and power with them to bring about positive change.

How do you disseminate the learning from the project?

A termly newsletter is distributed to all schools. Annual young delegate events and city wide events also provide an opportunity to share learning and celebrate achievements. A YOH! toolkit was produced last year, and training is provided in creative participation.

Has the learning from this work influenced wider organisational/service strategies?

Work with YOH! helps inform and support the PCT's prevention policy and also forms part of the citizenship curriculum in schools.

What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?

Funding permitted and if young people are interested, the Project is considering starting a group volunteering programme to support the administrative arrangements, forming an advisory group to represent the wider work of YOH!.

CONTACT DETAILS

Charlee Bewsher
The Project West Yorkshire Youth Association
180 Chapeltown Road
Chapeltown
Leeds
LS7 4HP

Tel: 0113 3070905
E-mail: theproject@btconnect.com