In our research work we include young people as research partners who work alongside us to guide what we do and how we do it from their perspectives.
We have a mailing list of young people aged 13-18 who have signed up to be part of our Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG) and we contact them to get involved in various opportunities.
We run YPAG sessions online where young people share their perspectives and input on our research, getting involved at all stages of the research. Young people are always compensated for their time.
Guiding principles
We are guided by these principles:
- Aim to involve young people whenever we can
- Make it clear what we can and can’t change through their input
- Offer options of how they can share their ideas and feedback with us
- Provide training and information whenever needed, individually or to all group members, to ensure they can understand and therefore meaningfully contribute
- Offer opportunities for them to develop skills and confidence
Example outputs of YPAG involvement
Young co-researchers were involved with Bath University’s Can We Connect Study:
One of our YPAG advisors made this video talking about their experience of being part of the Can We Connect study.
What is research?
Professor Maria Loades takes you on a whistlestop tour of how we use scientific methods to get reliable answers to questions (4.5 minutes).
What is Patient and Public Involvement?
Professor Maria Loades explains what PPI means, why it matters for research, how we do it, and what young people get out of it. (4 minutes)
What is lived experience?
Professor Maria Loades describes different kinds of lived experience and shows how they can add value to research and care (2.5 minutes).