Case Study 02: Youth Substance Use, Poverty, Attendance & Educational Attainment
Sector: Education
Project Type: Research & Consultation, Youth Engagement, Workshop Facilitation, Data Analysis & Intervention
Scale: 134 people consulted + 9 × 90-minute intervention sessions
The Challange
The client wanted to better understand the relationship between several interconnected issues affecting young people:
Substance use.
Alcohol.
Poverty and financial disadvantage.
School attendance.
Educational attainment.
Rather than considering these issues separately, the project sought to understand how they interact and how young people's experiences may be shaped by wider social and economic circumstances.
The client needed meaningful insight that could inform both its understanding of the issue and potential future intervention.
The challenge was therefore to move beyond assumptions and establish a stronger evidence base directly informed by young people's experiences.
Our Approach
Rising Generation initially designed a structured consultation process combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The first stage included:
Consultation Design
We developed an engagement approach designed around the client's specific research questions and the sensitive nature of the issues being explored.
Online Consultation
Rising Generation supported the management of an online survey to gather structured information from participants.
The survey generated X responses, covering participants' experiences and perspectives across the key themes being investigated.
Facilitated Discussions
Two 30-minute in-person discussions were undertaken to provide an opportunity for participants to explore the issues in greater depth.
This allowed the project to capture information that may not have been identifiable through survey responses alone.
Data Analysis
The consultation data was subsequently analysed to identify key themes, relationships and areas requiring further consideration.
The findings were brought together within a consultation and data report and discussed through an advisory session involving the relevant Rising Generation practitioners and the client.
From Research to Intervention
The initial consultation demonstrated the value of engaging directly with young people around the issues identified by the client. However, the project also highlighted that research alone would not necessarily be sufficient.
The client subsequently identified a need for direct youth engagement and intervention, creating a second stage of work focused on translating the emerging evidence into practical engagement.
Rising Generation therefore developed a further programme of youth-focused activity.
The Second Stage
The second stage began with an initial meeting between the client, Rising Generation's consultation and engagement practitioner and management. Rising Generation then developed a workshop programme designed around the client's requirements.
The programme consisted of:
9 × 90-minute youth engagement sessions.
Bespoke workshop design.
Facilitated delivery.
Structured engagement around the identified issues.
Ongoing consideration of participant experiences and needs.
Advisory support to the client throughout delivery.
The workshops provided an opportunity to move from understanding the issue to engaging directly with young people around potential responses.
The Outcome
The initial consultation provided the client with a structured evidence base concerning substance use, alcohol, poverty, attendance and educational attainment.
The findings subsequently informed a second stage of practical youth engagement.
Rising Generation delivered all 9 planned 90-minute sessions, providing the client with an opportunity to engage directly with young people following the initial research and consultation stage.
Following completion of the programme, the client identified a continued need for prevention-focused services.
The project therefore moved beyond a one-off consultation and into discussions around longer-term preventative engagement, while the client considered an appropriate longer-term delivery arrangement.
Impact
The project resulted in:
134 young people / participants reached through the initial consultation.
213 online survey responses collected.
2 facilitated in-person discussion sessions.
Structured analysis of quantitative and qualitative consultation information.
A formal consultation and data report.
9 × 90-minute youth engagement sessions delivered.
Development of a bespoke workshop programme based on the identified needs.
Translation of consultation findings into practical youth intervention.
Identification of an ongoing need for prevention-focused support.
Exploration of longer-term delivery and partnership arrangements.
What this project demonstrates
This project demonstrates the importance of connecting research, consultation and intervention rather than treating them as separate activities.
The initial question was about understanding a complex set of issues affecting young people. Through consultation and analysis, the project developed into direct youth engagement and practical intervention.
For Rising Generation, this reflects an important principle:
Insight should not sit in a report. It should inform what happens next.
Our role can therefore extend from asking "What is happening?" to understanding "Why is it happening?", and ultimately helping organisations consider "What should we do about it?"