confident transitions A Space Unlimited Programme
Space Unlimited Space Unlimited is a social enterprise and charity. Our work supports organisations to work in direct collaboration with young people in order to design and take action together. Our youthled enquiry process is a powerful catalyst for new insights and more collaborative leadership. We are passionate about building resilience – in individuals, within groups and across wider communities.
Confident Transitions Approach Across Scotland, statutory school-leavers (both winter and summer) are three times more likely to be reported unemployed than young people who stay on at school past their statutory leaving date SDS National School Leaver Initial Destination Report 2014/15, Dec 2015, page 12
Over the last 3 years, Space Unlimited has four phases of work, alongside 15 year-olds as they approach statutory school-leaving age. Our aim has been to help vulnerable young people, identified as those most likely to leave school at their earliest opportunity, to develop their capacity as more resourceful, resilient, self-directed learners, building their confidence and skills through this key phase of their education. The resulting programme is based around two key principles that young people have consistently told us are important: 1. Each young person has their own individual starting point – they need time to reflect on and make sense of this, and their self-esteem grows when they can articulate this and have it acknowledged by others. So we start by supporting young people to understand themselves and reflect on their life experiences. When young people are able to articulate honestly what they have learned through their experience of life and education to date, they build confidence and a sense of ownership for the transition they are going through. They also begin to build a holistic picture of their strengths, skills, interests, personal values, and preferences. As their self-esteem grows, they are able to play a more active role in considering their options for the future.
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2. Young people also value sharing common experiences through the period of transition - they benefit from the support they get from each other and feel more motivated and less alone. When a young person’s confidence is low, they tend to find working in a group setting challenging, and this often manifests itself in unhelpful behaviours, which in turn can reinforce self-limiting beliefs. Our programme offers young people a fresh opportunity to build their confidence to work with others. Young people feel uncomfortable (at first) working with people they don’t know, but, over time, they grow to value the chance to build relationships and skills together.
In short, Space Unlimited’s approach:
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Is respectful of the uncertainty and confusion that many young people in transition may feel - it doesn’t solve problems for them. Instead it supports each participant to find a way forward that makes sense to them.
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Enables young people to identify and connect with others who they believe can support them in their transition (adults and peers).
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Recognises that self awareness is just a first step – and that young people need support to keep applying new understanding and new behaviours in their educational choices – and in their lives.
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Builds resilience in young people so that they can make choices, adapt to new circumstances and feel confident to ask for help when they need it.
“Space Unlimited work with young people in a different way. They are prepared to be with young people in the messiness of their confusion until they find their own way forward - one that genuinely motivates them.” Martin Collins, Partnership Manager, Employability and Skills, Glasgow City Council (until 2015)
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Step-by-Step experience for participants:
How? Why this way?
Where? Enables young people to….
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Briefing and
Building
Mapping my
Planning and
Ongoing
recruitment
relationships
journey so far
connecting
Support
Group Session in School To get a better understanding of Space Unlimited, the project and make an informed choice about participation. In own school.
One to One Coaching
Small Group Sessions
Youth Led Enquiry
Action Learning Sessions
To build relationships and trust with Space Unlimited facilitators and create a ‘safe’ space to build self-awareness.
To build understanding of self, and skills and confidence to work productively in a small team.
To build skills in self-directed learning, team working and peer support.
To access ongoing support on the practical application of learning in their lives.
In own school.
In own school
- Discuss the purpose and approach on the project. - Get to know the facilitator that they will work with.
- Discuss interests and learning currently enjoyed. - Identify blockers to their achievement and attainment.
- Reflect on their lives to date – important people and events. - Identify values and strengths, motivations and goals.
Community venue - Share learning, exploring common ground and differences. - Identify and connect to support they need in their transition.
Community venue. - Continue to reflect on their progress and changing needs. - Connect to people and resources that can help - Offer support to peers.
Headline Outcomes from Confident Transitions •
Participants are making informed and positive choices about their future, based on a sound knowledge of their own strengths, skills, interests and personal values.
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Participants are motivated and taking action to attain those goals – and feel more confident about where to go and how to ask for the support they need.
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Participants have grown their skills and confidence as self-directed learners, individually, in small and larger groups, and with people they do not know.
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Participants have improved speaking, listening and questioning skills.
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Participants have greater capacity to reflect on their experiences, both after and in the midst of action, and are more confident in their ability to influence change in their lives.
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Evidence of Outcomes from the Confident Transitions Approach
Participants are making informed and positive choices about their future, based on a sound knowledge of their own strengths, skills, interests and personal values. Young people have grown their skills and confidence as self-directed learners, individually, in small and larger groups, and with people they do not know. They have been able to use their ideas and strengths and are more confident in their abilities and in those of other young people. Many factors seem to come together to support the development of confidence. The young people talk about how initially they felt shy, worried, anxious, tense, scared, challenged and pressured. This has turned into something more positive as they have grown in confidence. Again, the young people’s feedback and stories highlight the value of the opportunity to work in teams with people that they don’t already know, to speak out in groups and in front of an audience. They appreciate being listened to and respected by others. For many, this has enabled them to voice their opinions more confidently, and they say they are much more able to talk to other people, particularly those they don’t already know. “… making my ‘me map’ I began to find more strengths than I thought I had so I felt more confident. I suppose I kept coming back to the sessions because I felt good when I came.”
“ I felt like I learned more about myself. I realised that the fear of failure keeps me going. I also learned that I can be brave and I have coped well with hard times.” “I learned that I really can make friends and I found this out after the first few weeks of being on the programme. I realised this as the project went on and I began to feel more confident. I know now that by getting to know people better they can begin to trust me, then tell me personal things that have helped me learn how to get and give trust.” “I learnt a lot of things that feel important now. Like being part of an actual group rather than just getting on with things all by myself. After I was going along to the project a few times I realised that I could get much more out of learning as part of a group than I would by myself…It made me see something big as they helped me think about how important it is to listen to others when they need you to.”
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“The way Owen and Stevie talked to me – it helped to build my confidence. I’m not sure why, but the way they did that made me happy. They were asking questions – and they were encouraging me.” Young people are more effective communicators with improved speaking, listening and questioning skills.
They develop new skills and new perspectives on their existing skills,
particularly communication and inter-personal skills: “I am building on skills that I didn’t know I had, like speaking out loud.” “I do feel more confident now and have noticed I speak out more than I did before. Because we got to work with different people I find it easier to work with strangers now, especially adults. “ “I’ve developed trust as a skill, after using it here, I’ve used it with my volunteering group – talking more openly to them about stuff.” “When we came here my confidence was pretty low, but as my skills have gone up, so has my confidence.” “I feel strongly about this as I feel as though individual strengths and ideas are given the right attention and are recognised.” “In time I got to know you better and I had more regular people in my life … I got more confident and started talking more. I’d tell myself to try talking more at the start to get more comfortable quicker.” Young people viewed this confidence to talk to others and being able to share ideas as part of a group as a strength: they start to see where they can contribute to the project and become more curious about what might be possible in the future. Teachers interviewed, talk of seeing positive changes in young people that they knew quite well beforehand and of being pleasantly surprised:
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“There’s more confidence in them.... I know these young people as I was previously their class teacher. Before, they were very reluctant to speak, I have seen a shift in their mindset, they’re much more positive.” (Teacher) “Some of the young people are from chaotic backgrounds and they don’t know what they want to do. I’ve watched as the small group experience has helped them to engage and to think about their needs and aspirations. It’s been good for them to talk and develop the soft skills.” (Teacher) Participants are motivated and taking action to attain personal goals – and feel more confident about recognising the support they need, where to go and how to ask for it. Most of the young people clearly recognise that this is useful for their learning and in future work: “I learned that people trust me and value my ideas. This has really helped me in school as I can now share my ideas with teachers or if I need help with anything I won’t hold onto it I will just ask.”
“It increased our skills so it gives us a better chance of getting a job.” “By learning about yourself – about what kind of future you want – it’s made me clearer on all my options.” “I felt encouraged to get things done. When I had this feeling it made me talk more about how I felt about things.” “This has been useful as I’ve now applied for a college course that I want to do.” “It was good to be able to talk about my own experiences as a carer with someone who understands what it is like being one...It was really good that someone took the time for me. I try to talk about this stuff at home but no one other than my gran is interested.”
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The young people show that they can reflect on their experiences, both during and after action, and are more confident in their ability to influence change in their lives. Some talk about being more focused, more open and questioning or ‘able to talk to anyone’: “Since we’ve started this, I’ve not felt like I need to hide anything. If I want to change something, I know I can.”
Some show a new level of maturity and can identify tangible changes in behaviours, attitudes, awareness and self-belief, with some practical actions and outcomes: “I made my own video about how family can help and not help you to get ready for life after school. I realised helping with my grandpa when he was ill really helped me figure out what I can be good at. “ “I realise that I need to grow up more and get a job. I need to be more sensible and grow up. I can do this if I take on more responsibilities and keep calm.” “One of the young women has pushed for a change in the school offering next year. She wants to do environmental science – she’s thinking about a career in agriculture/farming. So, she petitioned for it to be offered at National 5 this year. And we’ve had quite a big uptake from other pupils. I’m very pleased.” (Teacher)
“I start college in August – the course is Skills for Work and Life. It feels better going to college now. Before, I wasn’t feeling too confident about it. But with Space Unlimited we done (sic) lots of activities where you had to talk to each other. You just had to get used to it. And I feel more confident about college now. When I start college I’d really like someone to talk to if I lost confidence. It would be good if they would ask questions, just talk with me while I try to build my confidence back up again.” “Before I started this, I was going to quit my volunteering, but this made me think I could stick with it as I was thinking about a career in child-care, and now I’ve got used to the volunteering.”
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“….talking to people helped me get a job. I’m interested in reptiles and there’s a shop that I’ve gone to for years. I never really used to talk to the guy that works there, but I decided to talk to him. Then he asked me if I wanted a job, and I said yeah. I work there every Sunday now, cleaning tanks, changing water and bathing the animals. I’d like a job full-time there when I leave school – the owner says there’s a good chance that I could get one.” “I am so glad that I came and it really has helped me with my training (when I get there). I am so happy I took up the opportunity for the training and realise new experiences can really help you.”
Feedback from teachers endorses these changes and the value of the approach: “All the young people now have clearer ideas about their futures. They were able to talk about what they want, what help they’d need and what might hinder them. I know these young people, but I learned new things about them, which I really enjoyed.” “They’re more focused on their futures, and how they can achieve it. It’s kind of become more ‘real’.” “These kind of ‘baby steps’ can really help to boost their confidence. Especially where young people face quite a lot of barriers based on their life experiences. This is where you really see the value of the small groups. It’s nurturing, otherwise they’re in classes of 20-30 where they’re all trying to distract each other!” “I like structure myself, I’m a scientist! ……over a period of time, I’ve realised that how they work does suit some young people. It’s about how different young people learn. I’ve watched as the small group experience has helped them to engage and to think about their needs and aspirations. The style that Space Unlimited use helps to create a space in the minds of young people to work out what they want.” “What I really like about this (programme) is that: one, you’re supporting them to make a more informed and motivated choice around their initial positive destination, so that
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they’re more likely to sustain it anyway; and two, that you’re helping them build their resilience and resourcefulness enough that, if they decide their destination isn’t the right one, they can do something about it, rather than disengaging or dropping out.” Head Teacher.
How these outcomes have impacted the lives of all 19 previous participants who completed the two most recent action research phases: •
Two young people from the 'Winter Leavers' phase 3 of development were both being “papped oot" (sic) and instead stayed to do qualifications in both S5 and S6, with support from the school.
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Two young people from Drumchapel had an experience of shaping services to fit their needs after they organised a petition to get the qualification they wanted to be offered in school instead of leaving to go to college, something they did not really want to do.
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One young person from St Paul's went off to college feeling a lot more resilient than before and much clearer about what he hoped to get out of the course.
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Another got a part time job in a reptile shop – one of his passions – and a place on a training and employability course too.
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A third St Paul's student restarted her volunteering placement (she’d dropped out and stopped going) and stuck with it, deciding she was really glad she did.
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Two young people from John Paul Secondary decided to stay on in school and get qualifications in subjects that would help them in the long run for their chosen careers (PE for sports coaching and Maths and Tech for joinery).
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Two young people from St Thomas Aquinas Secondary went to college to do courses.
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One went to an army recruitment office, a ‘taster’ training week and his since started training as a joiner.
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One young person from St Paul’s continued to come to the project despite leaving school in favour of a part time job and college course. He stated that he’d realised school ‘really wasn’t for him’ and was happier with his new choices.
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A further 3 young people from Drumchapel, two from St Paul’s and one from John Paul Academy all staying on in school, doing so with increased positivity, engagement and confidence.
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Additional outcomes that overlap with those above (i.e. some of the same young people were involved) include: Over the course of the programme, some young also sought to repair relationships and
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reconnect with resources offered by schools and teachers. They reported changing their attitude in those classes and asking the respective teachers for additional help. We have seen at least three young people changing their behaviour and attitude sufficiently to stay on in school and obtain their required qualifications. In Drumchapel High School, five young people who really felt they had personally
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benefitted from being a part of Confident Transitions worked collaboratively with a teacher to design a ‘Resilience Day’ workshop for younger year groups to help build their resilience and resourcefulness when things in and around school get tough. They felt this ability to keep going when they weren’t sure what to do and to ask for help when they needed it were critical pieces of learning they’d gained that they wanted to share with others. Two of this same group also have plans to set up and run a ‘club’ in the school where
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they’ll invite students from younger year groups to participate in some of the most impactful exercises they experienced on our project. They plan to take this forward once their exams are finished this year.
Data sources and sample size •
51 young people participated in 4 phases of action research 2013-2016.
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29 of these young people participated in what we would recognise as a version of the Confident Transitions approach (phase 3 and 4 of the development process).
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19 of the 29 young people completed the programme – 10 young people dropped out: 3 left for positive reasons (to join another course, to go to college, and to start a job respectively) while the remaining 7 left at a fairly early stage, because for various reasons, they decided the experience was not for them.
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All phase 4 data has been independently reviewed and validated by Dr Cathy Sharp, Research for Real in our recent evaluation report to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Because the sample size is currently small, we have not provided statistics here.
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Data Collection: Principles and Process Our approach to learning and evaluation Taking Account of Change is our framework for understanding the impact of our work. This allows us to work to funders desired outcomes and enables young people and adult participants to develop their own interests within that framework; to identify what matters most to them, expressed in ways that make sense to them and at points in the enquiry process when discussions of this nature are likely to be most meaningful.
As the enquiry process ends we
review outcomes, ask about surprises and check whether that people have felt listened to and their opinions valued. We think of change as a ripple effect - the impacts building over time, reaching others and going deeper into communities. The ripple starts with the youth led enquiry - young people using their strengths, skills and ideas and gaining confidence in their abilities. When adults and young people then work together to design and make change happen, both become more confident in their capacity to bring about change. This is turn leads to stronger relationships and more shared responsibility so building wider commitment to and capacity for change.
This is a
complex picture in which to attempt to track and attribute change in ways that remain meaningful; we accept that we can’t measure everything nor trace all the impacts of our work over time. We work on the premise that, by gathering data about what we can influence and ensuring that we listen and learn, we can better understand the impact of our work for individuals, organisations and communities. In most projects, we gather both qualitative and quantitative ‘indicator’ data about the achievement of specific outcomes for young people and any adults involved (here we would certainly also want to gather feedback from local partner organisations and, in particular the local youth workers who will work alongside us in year 1, and then take on more of a leadership role in year 2. Ideally, we would also like to hear family perspectives on outcomes for young people too.). We undertake a variety of evaluation approaches at different stages of the enquiry processes; often there is no practical distinction between reflecting on group process as an integral part of youth-led enquiry and evaluation. We have noticed that this is particularly the case as we increasingly encourage young people to develop skills of self-evaluation.
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Data collection Given the relatively small numbers involved in each enquiry group and our desire to understand the lived experience of the participants, we have several approaches to gathering qualitative feedback and stories of change from young people and educators:
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Qualitative comments made in activities using the Taking Account of Change framework, usually as part of group work enquiry activities.
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Group discussions, sometimes videoed, that are primarily a part of the enquiry process.
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Individual or paired story sharing interviews or video sessions, outwith the room on enquiry days or conducted as a separate evaluation activity. These are written up and validated by the participants before use.
The first two approaches facilitate the sharing of stories and co-analysis by young people and educators. The third approach can allow for a deeper and personal exploration of learning and change and provide an opportunity for fuller personal reflection.
These approaches to story
collecting have become a valuable part of the enquiry process; this construction and sharing of experience is an important affirmative and revelatory learning process that helps the participants to develop their own understanding of their experience and the language to describe it and so develop a stronger sense of self. Whilst conclusions from the data are primarily based on our own analysis of the material, we also share insights and learning, based on our own analysis, with young people and others who help to validate the data and analysis. Our evaluation process is also supported by Dr Cathy Sharp of Research for Real. Her involvement continues to be an important part of our commitment to data validation and quality assurance to ensure the accuracy and credibility of our findings.
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Reg. Charity No: SCO37607
Reg. Company No: SC306061
with sincere thanks to our delivery partner
this project was funded by
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