Going Forward Project – celebrating our first year of project delivery.

The Going Forward team recently celebrated our 1^st anniversary.

 

We think that we have been doing pretty well. Don’t just take our word for it, though…

For Fast Forward, like most third sector organisations, keeping funders, partners and stakeholders up-to-date with what we’ve done, where we’ve been, who we’ve worked with and how things have gone is an absolutely vital element of the work that we do.

On a fairly basic level we need to record, and let people know about, the numbers. How many organisations have we worked with? How many sessions have we delivered? How many young people, or practitioners, have attended our sessions?

For the Going Forward project, the numbers are looking good, in that we have been able to comfortably exceed our initial project delivery targets.

Now, whilst these targets and numbers are clearly very important, we also have some slightly more difficult questions that we need to respond to. What has been the impact of the work that we do? Is our work valued by the organisations that we work with? Have our sessions been delivered and maintained to a high standard and quality?

Our partner organisations, and the young people that they support, have told us a great deal about what they think about the Going Forward project.

What we really like about that is that they’ve told us that we consistently deliver high quality sessions. They’ve also said that these sessions provide an impact that is meaningful, appropriate and appreciated.

 

What is the Going Forward Project?

Going Forward engages with high-tariff, vulnerable and at-risk young people in a variety of educational, social and youth work settings. These settings include employability services, youth clubs, boys and girls groups, young parents groups, special educational schools, secure units, and mainstream schools.

Going Forward delivers workshop and group-work sessions that focus around core themes of health and wellbeing and risk-taking behaviours.

Specific issues covered include:

• substance misuse
• sexual health and relationships
• online safety
• problem gambling.

Going Forward sessions provide young people with information about risk-taking behaviours and encourage them to reflect on their understanding and attitude towards their own, and others, health and wellbeing. Going Forward also offers harm reduction advice to young people who are likely to engage, or already actively engaged in high-risk behaviour. The project aims to:

• empower young people to make better informed and healthier decisions
• encourage young people to be more responsible and active citizens
• enable young people to consider the consequences of engaging in risk-taking behaviour, both for themselves, and for their wider local community.

 

What has the Going Forward Project delivered in Year One?

The Going Forward team started delivering workshop and group-work sessions in May 2017. To date, we have worked with 35 organisations to deliver over 200 sessions across the four Lothian local authority areas.

Sessions have been attended by approximately 500 individual young people. The sessions have enjoyed over 1,100 contacts, meaning that an average of approximately 6 young people have attended each session.

Feedback from young people participating in Going Forward sessions has been particularly encouraging.

• 100% of young people said they felt the sessions taught them something new.
• 95% of young people said that the sessions were either ‘amazing’ or ‘good’.
• 93% of young people said they were more aware of how to make themselves safe in risky situations.
• 86% of young people said that they were more confident making healthy decisions.

 

What have practitioners and organisations told us about Going Forward?

One of the core aims of Going Forward is to offer organisations and practitioners sessions that are reactive to the needs of each particular organisation and their perceptions on the needs of the young people that they work with.

By consulting with practitioners and young people at each organisation, we’ve ensured that the the content, approach and style of session delivery is specifically tailored to meet the needs and expectations of organisations and the young people that they support.

 

Case Studies

 Four of the organisations that we have worked with in year one (Bridges Project, Tomorrow’s People, Street League and Deans Community High School) have kindly provided us with some short case studies on their experiences with Going Forward. These case studies offer a useful insight into how Going Forward sessions have enhanced the work of these organisations and have had a positive impact on the young people that they work with.

 

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more about the Going Forward project, or discuss ways in which we could work with your organisation to develop and deliver a programme of sessions tailored to the specific needs of the young people that you support, simply e-mail the Going Forward team, or give us a call:

• Donald Lockhart: donald@fastforward.org.uk
• Telephone: 0131 554 4300