The Youth-centred Participatory Action (YoPA) Project
The YoPA project aims to create, implement, and assess social and physical interventions that improve the lifestyle of adolescents aged 12–18 in vulnerable situations. Using an evidence-based co-creation approach, we work alongside youth as co-researchers, who actively shape every step — from data collection and analysis to designing and presenting interventions to stakeholders.
What Works? What Doesn’t?
Co-creating with vulnerable adolescents brings unique rewards and challenges. As experts in their own lives, these young people share their lived experiences, providing essential insights for designing relevant interventions.
In YoPA, we facilitated sessions with adolescents. A session is a meeting that covers different topics and uses various methods. For example, one session focused on identifying local outdoor activity needs, with adolescents interviewing their peers in the community.
To make these sessions engaging, we sent reminders beforehand, provided snacks and dinner, and incorporated creative activities to keep the process fun and motivating. However, the sessions weren’t without challenges. Many of these teens have negative associations with school, so anything that felt “school-like” could lower motivation. We faced disruptions, property damage, and frequent external distractions that affected focus.
Despite these challenges, working with these adolescents is worth it. Their insights are invaluable, and the potential impact of YoPA on their lives is significant.
Evaluating Co-Creation
Evaluating co-creation processes requires clarity on what aspects are being measured. Is the focus on capturing the youths’ experiences and skill development, or on assessing whether the process has improved their physical activity levels? Defining clear objectives is essential for choosing the most effective evaluation methods.
YoPA is in the process of developing a co-creation protocol that can be applied across different contexts, highlighting how to effectively engage adolescents. At the same time, we are working on an evaluation framework that can be applied during the process. The goal is to streamline co-creation efforts, enabling a unified evaluation of processes across various youth-focused initiatives.
The YoPA project aims to create, implement, and assess social and physical interventions that improve the lifestyle of adolescents aged 12–18 in vulnerable situations.
