Evaluating the implementation of the youth-led emotional well-being project ‘Getting it Together’

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.