Announcing our new networks

Our networks are at the heart of the culture change that we envisage for the youth sector: a sector working together to increase meaningful evaluation and impact measurement, which helps explain that nature of effective work with young people, and leads to improvements in provision.

After a summer of researching, planning, and building links across the youth sector, we are delighted to announce the details of the peer networks that we will be supporting across the country to progress thinking and practice in impact measurement in work with young people.
As per previous updates, we have been thinking about how we can build on our experience of working with Early Adopters: the existing networks of youth sector organisations in different parts of the country, with whom we have been developing our plans.

We are now excited to be launching new Regional Impact Networks, open to practitioners working with young people across the country.  We will also be developing and testing the concept of ‘Accelerator Networks’, formed to support a strategic approach to impact measurement in particular thematic areas of work with young people – for example, faith-based provision, or social action.

Our networks are at the heart of the culture change that we envisage for the youth sector: a sector working together to increase meaningful evaluation and impact measurement, which helps explain that nature of effective work with young people, and leads to improvements in provision.

We believe that evaluation, datacollection and analysis only have value if practitioners, managers and funders/commissioners are improving their practice – and decisions – as a result of what they are learning .  Practitioners and managers at all levels should play a leading role in setting evaluation questions and then choosing or even developing the tools and methodologies that will help them answer those questions well. Our networks will be where individuals gain the skills and confidence to do this, because approaches to impact measurement should be determined collectively, with peer support and challenge.

At the core of each network’s activity will be a series of open meetings, at which any organisation working in the geographic or thematic area will be welcome.  Networks will host Communities of Practice, whose members will be seeking to improve their work through the sharing of knowledge. Members will be able to present issues or challenges that they are encountering in their own work, and have peers support, challenge and share experiences and ideas in response.

We cultivate an environment of openness, trust and the feeling of a ‘safe space’, in which participants can be honest about the challenges they are facing. Over time, participants will be able to share knowledge and resources. They will be able to generate solutions to the challenges of impact measurement and service design that are meaningful in the contexts in which they work, and span organisational boundaries.  

The Centre’s core team will provide resources and facilitation for these meetings, and broker input from experts across the evidence sector: but only following careful diagnostic work, and once network members have identified their own assets and needs, and fully understood the range of options available to help them.

We are particularly keen to ensure that in supporting new networks we are not duplicating infrastructure already in place. For this reason, we are working with a number of regional youth work units or their legacy structures. In other geographical areas, we have identified organisations similarly committed to progressing this work and with strong networks in place. All of our networks leads are organisations already investing in changing the culture around impact measurement, and who have existing networks whose resources and commitment to the agenda we can build upon. 

The Regional Impact Network Lead organisations are:
South West:
South West Forum, lead contact: Gill Millar

London:
London Youth, lead contact: Laura Blazey

West Midlands:
Youth Focus West Midlands, lead contact: Ruth Rickman-Williams

East:
MAP, lead contact: Paul Webb

Yorkshire and Humber:
Y&H Regional Youth Work Unit, lead contact: Charlee Bewsher

North East:
Youth Focus: North East, lead contact: Kevin Franks

North West:
Brathay Trust supported by Youth Focus North West, lead contacts: Lucy Maynard and Liz Harding

Additionally, we will continue to support our former Early Adopters and their networks to develop and test the concept of thematic Accelerator Networks, while working with two additional thematic networks:
Foyer Federation – impact measurement in asset-based work with young people
Oasis - impact measurement in faith and community-based work with young people
Business Launchpad – impact measurement when supporting young people to develop enterprise and leadership-related skills
Generation Change – impact measurement in social action

Please contact Pippa Knott (pippa.knott@youthimpact.uk) with any queries about the networks, or to be put in touch with the relevant network lead.