How we’ve set up the Backpack Youth Advisors programme and what we’ve learned from it (2/2)
This article explores how our team worked with Barnardo’s Employment, Training & Skills (ETS) staff and young people on the Barnardo’s online risk guide (BORG) project. BORG, formerly called Backpack, is a guide to emerging online risks for practitioners. Check out more about why we created this platform here.
In my last blog post, I explained why Backpack Youth Advisors was created and how we teamed up with our Barnardo’s ETS Yorkshire colleagues to engage their learners in the programme. Here, I’ll delve into the challenges, opportunities and future considerations we’ve contemplated.
Launching and running the programme
Backpack Youth Advisors (BYA) was officially launched in September 2023. We started with an informal session to get to know the ten ETS students who joined the programme. In total, we facilitated six sessions up until March 2024. All the sessions were held at the Bradford-based ETS Yorkshire offices.
Each session would last two hours with at least two breaks in between. They would generally be structured as follows:
- Starting the session with a game to engage the youth advisors and help them feel present in the space
- Doing a brief rundown of the day’s schedule to remind them what to expect
- Discussing and recording the group’s thoughts on the priority topics identified in BORG
- Concluding with an interactive poll to get instant feedback from the students on how the day went
What worked well
Overall, the ETS staff and students shared positive feedback about the programme. We also enjoyed the time we spent with the young advisors in Bradford. We particularly did well in:
- Creating a judgement-free zone. We were happy to see that most members felt comfortable enough to express their thoughts. It was fascinating to see the difference between what we assumed young people would think about a topic and what they would bring up during a debate.
- Combining fun and learning. When asked about their experience, most members expressed how much fun they had and how much more confident they felt.
- Making time for informal moments. We would adjust our schedule for the day so that the conversations and quality time we spent with the young advisors were given priority.
- Generating insightful and thought-provoking debates. Through the games and activities we put together, we managed to get valuable input from the group.
- Supporting the students with their learning objectives. We introduced the group to the STAR method to help them write the skills and experience they gained in their CV.
Challenges we’ve encountered
Despite the good times, we did face many obstacles along the way. The following issues came up during the sessions:
- As expected, some young people were not comfortable talking in front of the group. We needed to pay closer attention to the dynamics in the room. For example, give the quieter people more time to contribute.
- We told the group they could write instead of voicing their opinions. Yet, a few students told us they would have preferred doing less writing. We then had to find a balance between letting students share their notes and taking notes for them.
- Some youth advisors felt unprepared for the audio recording. As a result, we took more time to explain the recording process. We also asked members who have been recorded to share their experiences with those who have not done it before.
The logistics and model of the programme presented further difficulties. These include:
- Low engagement from BYA members. We struggled to get the young people to turn up to the sessions. This had a huge impact on our ability to sustain the programme.
- Lack of communication with the ETS team. A staffing shortage within the team affected our planning. We had to delay the programme’s start but also cancel and reschedule a few sessions.
- High costs involved related to travel and team capacity. We were three members of the Lab (a service designer, a researcher, and a content designer) going to Bradford. A two-hour session would typically require us a full day of work including travelling.
Possibilities for the future
The challenges we faced and internal organisational changes and restructuring led us to end the programme early. We did consider several methods to reorganise the programme shortly before it ended. Even though we ran out of time to effectively implement them, we thought about:
- Making the BYA sessions more flexible and accessible to all ETS Yorkshire students
- Facilitating one-off, online group sessions, with other services across the country
- Reconnecting with V&I and other relevant services to arrange one-to-one online sessions
Final thoughts
Understanding online risks faced by young people, especially from their perspective, is unique to BORG. The BYA programme aimed to provide a space for young people to influence the tone of the BORG website. We were proud to guide the ETS students through a process that supported their professional development. The programme might be over now, but its legacy will live on. Youth-generated content from desk research will continue to inform the online risk guide.
One thing that stood out to me was watching the young advisors become more confident over time. It was inspiring to see how their journey mirrored my own growth in confidence. Working closely with young people was a humbling experience. I have been reminded how important time is to build trust and empathy. I now feel more adaptable and better prepared for unforeseen events. As a designer, these are essential skills that I will keep honing going forward.
Cynthia is a service designer in the Barnardo’s Innovation Lab team.
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