Welcome to the 4D Youth Matter Blog. This Blog is intended to generate debate about young people and their lives today. It is a positive space, for talking about how we can improve their aspirations and life chances within difficult economic and social times. Please do feel free to contribute to discussions, as every opinion […]
Adding an edge to your work through ethnography I am often asked how to get behind young people’s attitudes and motivations to highlight those ‘sticky bits’ that can make or break a perception of a product or service. The best way to do this is to literally put yourself in their position. Focus groups can […]
Getting young people interested… Have you ever designed a research project and then been disappointed with the response rate? It’s not always easy to encourage interest in what you are doing. In general, any attempt to involve people in focus groups or surveys are usually competing against a multitude of other distractions. In my experience […]
Voting on Europe – where under 18’s don’t matter Today marks one calendar month before the EU Referendum. I received my polling card in the post today, but 1.5 million 16 & 17 year olds did not. This is a real tragedy for British politics and for our young people. There are a number of […]
I think young people are great… …and here’s why: 1. They aren’t as cynical as us 2. They are generally more positive and trusting in others 3. They are willing to offer society more than it can give them back (this is KEY) 4. They want to understand how the world works, with all […]
Top 10 things I’ve learned about grief This is an open letter, a list for all young people who may have been affected by a bereavement. I wanted to use my own reflections for this. I passionately believe that we should be supporting them more through this process. It is important that they understand that […]
Best careers advice ever? #SpeakUp4Youth This was one of the main questions debated at last week’s #SpeakUp4Youth hashtag hour… What is #SpeakUp4Youth? It’s a Twitter hashtag hour that takes place every TUESDAY 8-9pm, that aims to provide a space to debate issues affecting young people, as well as discuss good practice in researching this age group. Participants […]
Helping Youth Empower Themselves – Striving for a ‘Job’ How do we help youth to overcome obstacles? Surely, the best way to do this is to help them empower themselves. I was lucky enough to be invited to the recent conference for the Talent Match programme for Leeds City Region (work programme for the long-term […]
The ‘Success Illusion’ – Helping Youth Overcome Setbacks I recently ran a workshop in partnership with author and coach David Shindler on ‘Igniting Your Potential’. We delivered this for members of JCI Bradford (network of young leaders and entrepreneurs), to help them to understand how they have motivated themselves and accomplished their goals in their past and […]
The 5 things I’d tell my younger self about research, are simple, but very important. There are a few major points I wish I’d known about as I embarked on my career, as a (relatively) fresh-faced 22 year old: 1.Your role as a young researcher is to understand data – to fully get underneath how to collect […]
Standing up for the youth NEETs should be a core part of what we do in society. These young people feel ignored, as they have fallen through the system. Without real, prospective employment, education or training options, they are left to feel disenfranchised and even resentful of the world in which we live. This group […]
