97% of the Young Citizens Trainers felt their confidence had increased to achieve future goals as a result of their involvement in the programme, and 90% of Young Citizens Participants felt more positive about the future after taking part in a workshop.
The Young Citizens Training Programme aims to make a positive impact on the lives of 16-25 year olds from migrant and refugee backgrounds, enhancing their resilience to overcome the challenges they face and supporting them to make positive lives for themselves in this country.
Young Citizens Participants attend peer-led workshops co-produced and delivered by Young Citizens Trainers, who use their experience of overcoming challenges when moving to the UK to help their peers. The workshops, which are delivered in colleges and other settings across London, cover the asylum process, care system, wellbeing and support networks.
The Young Citizens Training Programme, which is funded by the Mayor’s Young Londoners Fund and John Lyon’s Charity, launched in July 2019 and runs until September 2022. Today’s interim evaluation report analyses the level to which the programme has achieved outcomes set out in its Theory of Change between July 2019 and March 2021, midway through the three-year funded programme. In this period, 41 Young Citizens Trainers co-designed and delivered workshops to 308 Young Citizens participants.
The report finds that the programme has so far met its aims, with 97% Young Citizens Trainers saying they had developed skills to help them with future goals, whilst 85% of Young Citizens Participants said they felt they could deal with problems better and 84% felt more aware of where to go for support after attending a workshop.
In addition, professionals from colleges, youth groups and local authorities, who attend the workshops alongside young people, also gave positive feedback, with 93% saying they thought the workshops had more impact as a result of being led by young people with similar experiences.
One of the Young Citizens Trainers commented: “The main thing I really enjoyed about the programme is the opportunity that is given to me to share my experiences with other young people in the same situation as me.” whilst another said: “I think I have encouraged other young people on the project and made them want to accomplish their goals”.
A Young Citizens Participant said: “[I have enjoyed] sharing our frustrations together so that we don’t feel alone” and another said that the Young Citizens Trainers “give us motivation that youth people need”.
A full evaluation report of the programme will be published in October 2022.