The Sapphire Employability and Wellbeing Academy aims to equip young people to not only be their best version of themselves but also inspire them to have a genuine insight of what they would like to pursue in the near future They have over 5 years' experience working in Islington, Hackney, Camden, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich and Lambeth. They have worked with over 5000 young people and families to date especially those from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds.
They are seeking student volunteers for a research project focussed on Youth Engagement. They want to expand their reach among young people and especially students, and to boost their social media presence. The organisation has a small staff team and all employees are part time. Marketing has therefore been historically challenging due to competing workloads of the staff team. The organisation has 3 centres to host workshops and activities in Islington, Southwark, and Grays.
Key questions for this research project:
What kinds of ways are the best ways to reach young people, and what are the best social media platforms for the demographic?
How many charities focus on charities from minority backgrounds in the three areas (for collaboration)?
Output: Concise written report with a clear summary of what the organisation can do next, including recommendations for what the best means of outreach would be.
Objective and Impact: to build and maintain a community where the young people can keep coming back to seek further opportunities.
Conduct research on means of outreach. This could involve taking one of the following approaches. Students will not be expected to complete all of the below, these are just suggestions. They will be encouraged to adopt an approach that suits their backgrounds and interests.
- Qualitative research (prospective students):
- Talking to young people directly, via community leaders, centres, etc.; to find out where young people find information, which social media channels are most effective?
- Asking young people what barriers they are facing to employment, and what skills training would be most useful to them?
- Qualitative research (organisations and Councils):
- Locating relevant organisations that operate in Islington, Southwark, and Grays to find out how they reach people, and to consider collaboration opportunities.
- Asking Councils for which minority groups may need most support, who are they, and can Councils share details?
- What do other organisations consider as the barriers to young people engaging in their opportunities?
- Social science literature review:
- Outreach methods, communication strategies from recent evidence-based studies on youths. What is the most effective method to reach young people?
- What are the employability issues faced by young people from minority backgrounds in London?
Output: Concise written report with a clear summary of what the organisation can do next, including recommendations for what the best means of outreach would be. Report should be concise and practical, while also being informative to guide the organisation’s strategy.
Volunteers may have the opportunity to attend the organisation's exhibition at the Black Cultural Centre in Islington during the course of the project.