About
Pride Action North is a leading LGBTQIA+ charity based in Northumberland and delivers services across the North of England. Established in 2017, they’ve been fundamental in elevating the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Their varied work includes one-to-one support, youth and community work provision, school work, mental health and well-being support, domestic and sexual violence and abuse support, training and development, and event delivery.
Aim
Following funding from the Northumberland Inclusive Economy Community Partnership (NIECP), Pride Action North implemented the Roaming Roots community project. This initiative focused on engaging young people in South East Northumberland who face limited access to youth services. Through detached youth work, they aimed to reach and support young people who are characterised by limited provision and accessibility issues.
One of the project’s key focuses was sustainability. Hubs were created to deliver ongoing support and opportunities to young people in South East Northumberland.
The project’s goals included:
- Short-term: Increased community engagement, youth participation, and improved health and well-being.
- Medium-term: Skill development, youth advocacy, and reduced anti-social behaviour.
- Long-term: Aspirations included enhanced community cohesion, sustainable volunteering, and a positive social fabric.
Pride Action North commissioned MMC to evaluate the project’s success against its goals. The UK Government funded this evaluation through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with the North East Combined Authority as the Lead Authority.
Work
MMC used mixed methodology research to provide the evidence to formally evaluate the project, which included:
Desk based research
Through desk research, we initially sought evidence concerning youth work and its practices, as well as a review of the project monitoring reports (qualitative and quantitative) provided by the delivery team.
1:1 interviews
We explored these themes further by discussing them directly with Pride Action North staff. Having gathered their feedback and opinions, we conducted a focus group with a team of key stakeholders.
Focus groups
This one-hour focus group examined local provisions, assessing whether partnerships exist and how they function. It included ‘blue sky thinking’ from stakeholders to gather their thoughts and opinions on what future provisions might resemble.
With our data in hand, we enthusiastically analysed and transformed it into the valuable insights that Pride Action North needed. We created a themed report to showcase our findings, which included a comprehensive executive summary and well-organised emerging themes, all enriched with anonymised quotes to support our insights.
The final report provided various sections, including:
- An actionable summary
- Situational analysis
- Evidence base
- Research findings
- Case studies on several beneficiaries (young people)
- Conclusion and recommendations for future projects.
As an added value, we also provided details of funding streams to support future youth provision programmes.
Results
Our research showed that the project was successful, especially considering the changing landscape and the short delivery time frame.
The completion of the project and subsequent research highlights a clear direction for the future development and funding of this and similar projects to meet the needs of young LGBTQIA+ people.
Photo by Isi Parente on Unsplash