Results and outcomes of the Now & Next Youth programme
What results and participants’ outcomes has Now & Next achieved?
Overview: Results follow our Global Benchmark Report trends. We can report on statistical significance for most pre-post comparisons. Since launching Now & Next Youth, we have:
- 3 pilot programmes carried out (New Zealand, Australia)
- 10 programmes facilitated (New Zealand and Canada)
- 98 youth attended (from 12-21 years of age)
- Participants present a range of disabilities, including ADHD and high functioning autism
- 5 youth facilitators trained
- 5 new youth facilitators in training
Completion rates: 94% of participants graduate. This completion rate is very high in the disability sector and congruent with the Now & Next Global Benchmark norm (over 1000 participants). We measure participants’ engagement with the contents.
We measure participants’ outcomes (goals achieved) and psychological outcomes such as Empowerment, Hope, Wellbeing, and Life Satisfaction.
Goal analysis
Examples of chosen goals:
- Skill development: Cooking meals
- Health & fitness: Practise a sport
- Social/friendships/romantic relationships: Invite a potential partner on a date
- Education: Improve maths results in order to finish school
- Career: Get a job, check pay rate
- Leisure: Visit new places
Goal achievement: Peer facilitators record goal achievements during sessions using ’Mission Control’, a purpose-built real time data collection tool. Goals are thematically analysed. Most groups achieve around 90% of their first short term goals and 80% of their second short term goals.
With each session, participants contributed an increasing number of ideas to other participants: tips for achieving goals, ideas for new goals etc and social cohesiveness grew. Both participants and facilitators comment that the social dimension of the program where participants engage together was core to participants' engagement - Peer support is valued and appreciated.
Psychological Outcomes: We report statistically significant increases in the outcome factors Empowerment, Hope, Wellbeing and Life Satisfaction. In addition, participants' increased sense of meaning and purpose post program of 19% is statistically significant.
Overview
A composite score representing improvement in wellbeing, empowerment and sense of purpose was calculated using the methodology coined by Luthans & Avolio (2014) for participants' 'Psychological Capital'. Participants average post program scores (78 out of 100) were statistically significant higher than their baseline scores (69) (p<0.0007, t+3.86, df+24, SE=2.165).
Reference: Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2014). Brief summary of psychological capital and introduction to the special issue. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 21(2), 125-129.
What research tools do we use?
- Engagement with the contents: Partners in Change Outcome Measures
- Empowerment: Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES) for families of children with disabilities
- Hope: Adult Hope Scale (AHS) tool
- Wellbeing: Wellbeing PERMAH scales
- Life Satisfaction: Cantril's Ladder for Life satisfaction
Partners in Change Outcome Measures (PCOM): A 4 items survey administered before and after each session which measures participant engagement and programme effectiveness. Reference: Duncan, B. & Reese, R.J. (2015). The Partners for Change Outcome Management System: The client’s frame of reference revisited. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 52, 391–401.
Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES) for families of children with disabilities: 32 items asking about feeling isolated from other parents, feeling a sense of community with other parents of children with disabilities, emotional support by other parents, and community support. Reference: Akey, T. M. ,Marquis, J. G., Ross, M. E. (2000).Validation of scores on the psychological empowerment scale: A measure of empowerment for parents of children with a disability. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60(3), 419-438. Tool: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-02107-007 Description
Hope: Adult Hope Scale (AHS) tool: A 12 items survey that assesses pathways (planning to meet goals), agency (goal-directed energy), and overall hope. Reference: Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., et al.(1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 570-585. Tool: https://lnkd.in/gigD6ceA
Wellbeing PERMAH scales: A 23-item survey specifically designed to assess the wellbeing ( PERMA model (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievements), including items capturing negative emotions, physical health, loneliness, and overall wellbeing. Reference: Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (2016). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3). Tool: https://lnkd.in/gJ3Ypwvj
Cantril's Ladder for Life satisfaction: one question which captures overall life satisfaction feeling. Also known as Cantril's Self-Anchoring Ladder of Life Satisfaction, or the Cantril Ladder of Life, measures life satisfaction by first asking the respondent to imagine their life in the best possible light and to describe their hopes and wishes for the future. Reference: Cantril, H. (1965). The pattern of human concerns. Rutgers University Press.
