Education Authority Y Box Doc

ENGAGED RESEARCH - TARGETED YOUTH SERVICES Since 2019, QUB researchers have been supporting the Education Authority (EANI) to develop, refine and evaluate their targeted youth services. Central to that support were three pillars: 1. Connecting research to practice (evidence embedment) 2. Developing appropriate frameworks to evaluate practice (evidence generation) 3. Share learning and facilitate multiplier effects (learning communities) After more than two-years of evaluating targeted and specialised youth provision and the engagement of more than 500 young people, there was significant evidence that: PART TWO: A BACKGROUND TO THE Y-BOX FRAMEWORK

THE NI CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S STRATEGY: The Strategy is designed to improve the lives and well-being of children and young people in Northern Ireland. The document sets out the eight key outcomes that as a society we aim to attain. This is the overarching strategy from which flow departmental and agency plans. The strategy has a specific focus on ‘living in safety and stability’ which deals with violence and recovery from its harms. 6.73 “Children in Northern Ireland have the right to live in a peaceful community without fear of attack, violence, intimidation or influence…” 6.82 “an ongoing legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is the presence of paramilitaries in our communities… we will continue to work together to prevent vulnerable young people from being drawn into organised crime and paramilitary activities” A summary of the evidence

Violence is highly prevalent. It is the single most commonly experienced trauma for young people in Northern Ireland, and young men are at elevated risk of victimisation and perpetration. Adherence to traditional and restrictive masculine norms appear to play a distinct role in the endorsement of aggression and violence and elevate the risk of young men engaging in violent behaviour. Gender transformative interventions hold promise for reducing male youth violence Whilst findings are mixed, the most promising results come from interventions that: have a clear theory of change; a coherent core component structure; are delivered in the community; have an intentional focus on masculinity; include both reflective and skills development components and; combine group work with one-to-one support.

• Adversity was highly prevalent across this group • Violent adversity was predictive of a range of outcomes including self-reported intention to engage in physical violence

• Young men appeared to be particularly exposed and affected by violent adversity • Young men were also more likely to report intentions to engage in physical violence

Youth workers are uniquely positioned in the community to create the safe spaces for young men to engage in sensitive issues and themes such as masculinity and violence. Further, youth work approaches can help young men connect to the wider communities to engage in pro-social activities and practice non-violent skills There is a policy context that requires intentional and pro-active approaches to violence prevention with young men. Violence prevention in the community context is under-evaluated and therefore an intentional focus on evaluation could increase the evidence in this area.

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