Project information
Overview
Youth LIVES (Youth LIVed Experience of Evidence Synthesis) is a novel participatory research project, utilising a model of radical co-production and cutting edge citizen science approaches, where young people identify research questions, and design and develop research proposals collaboratively with established researchers. The purpose of the co-written proposals is to share the priorities and ideas of young people with the research community, with a hope that these ideas are taken forward and youth voices embedded in future mental health research.
Youth LIVES is funded through UKRI Citizen Science Collaboration Grants, and supported by the Young Foundation. It ran from 2021 to 2024.
The project was facilitated by three departments at the University of York:
Aims
To work with young people to understand their priorities for mental health research, and support them to form research teams to develop research proposals that address the most urgent and neglected questions thereby embedding youth voices into future mental health research.
To rapidly review their questions, using rapid evidence gap mapping to combine academic knowledge with lived experience knowledge.
To support teams of young people and academics to collaboratively produce new evidence dissemination outputs and strategies to effectively communicate findings to youth audiences
To disseminate youth priority research proposals to the mental health academic community thereby embedding youth voices into future mental health research.
To reflect on, and evaluate the process as experienced by both young people and academics, both to react responsively to feedback throughout and to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of the project overall.
To share this learning across global academic and practitioner networks, to spread and sustain the citizen science approach, and build capacity for citizen science ways of working amongst early career researchers.
Why?
Youth mental health is a global challenge that demands urgent attention. Young people deserve research that addresses the questions most important to them. To achieve this, researchers must see young people not just as participants or beneficiaries, but as equal partners and leaders. Embracing citizen science can foster this collaboration, enabling young people to contribute meaningfully throughout the research process. This approach not only builds knowledge and skills for both researchers and youth but also ensures research is more relevant, accessible, and impactful.
How?
Our approach emphasised radical collaboration, making young people equal partners in identifying research priorities and designing studies to address them. We provided full support to integrate young people into this process through capacity building, relationship development, and financial reimbursement, enabling them to confidently collaborate with professional researchers. Researchers were also supported with peer learning and resources to create authentic spaces for collaboration.
We combined participatory methods from two disciplines: citizen science in environmental research and health research using Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). This allowed us to compare approaches, identify shared values, and explore opportunities to blend methods.
Youth LIVES was delivered online through three distinct phases:
Phase 1: Capacity building through Q&A’s with mental health experts
Phase 2: A series of monthly co-production workshops over a year to identify research gaps and co-produce research proposals within research teams of young people and researchers, with rapid evidence gap mapping performed on a co-developed question.
Phase 3: Youth working group meetings to reflect upon the Youth LIVES process and methods, safeguarding, and ethics.
A 'Ways of Working' charter was co-designed, and continually reflected upon throughout phase one. This charter was followed by both youth researchers and mental health researchers, and included:
Recognise everyone here as an expert. Everyone here is in the right place! Everyone has something valuable to offer – your perspective, your ideas, your questions.
Share our thoughts and stay engaged, either spoken or in the chat.
Be respectful of each other.
Share personal experiences if we want to, but only if we are comfortable to do so. There’s no expectation that anyone shares individual experiences.
Recognise that personal experiences shared should be kept confidential. Please join the audio/video sessions from a private room or use headphones, so that those talking know who is able to hear them.
Be able to take breaks when needed.
Listen and understand opinions that differ from our own.
Expect honesty from researchers and facilitators to build trust.
Work together and motivate each other with positivity.
Communicate so that there is a clear understanding of roles.
Be understanding, sympathetic, and respectful of others’ experience and stories.
Be conscious of use/explaining acronyms and specialist terms so that all can engage.
Outcomes
Through the project we had four main outcomes:
Evidence gap mapping showing key gaps in priority areas for young people
Research proposals co-written with young people and researchers illustrating youth preferences in methods and areas. These research teams explored:
Suicide and self harm
Pets and animal companions
Neurodiversity
Access to mental health support in schools.
Youth recommendations on the methods used in youth co-production
Youth Mental Health co-production method shared with researchers and practitioners through the Youth LIVES workbook.