Children and Young People’s Engagement in Creative and Cultural Activities
The ESRI has agreed a new research programme with the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, and the Arts Council.
The programme was developed to enhance knowledge of the nature, inclusiveness, and impact of participation of children and young people in creative and cultural activities. Centred on the experiences of children and young people and the inclusion of seldom-heard groups, the research will provide an understanding of who participates, how participation is experienced, how it affects several outcomes (e.g., wellbeing, self-esteem, school engagement), and how it can be made more equitable and meaningful.
The research adopts a unique mixed-methods design to capture the breadth and diversity of in-school and out-of-school projects implemented under the Creative Youth Plan 2023–2027. It combines the analysis of multiple data sources, including both secondary (e.g., programme administrative data and nationally representative datasets) and primary data (e.g., quantitative surveys and qualitative in-depth interviews and focus groups). The study also includes the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders involved in the implementation of the projects, with a particular emphasis on children and young people, as well as parents/caregivers, practitioners, project coordinators, and staff in schools and community/youth centres.
Moreover, the design and implementation of the research are guided by the following principles: (a) participatory and collaborative approach to engage various stakeholders, (b) flexibility and creativity in the methods used to fully capture the diversity of experiences and forms of expression within the projects, (c) comprehensiveness to reflect the breadth and diversity of projects and the complexity of understanding the Plan’s implementation, and (d) formative approach with a focus on generating recommendations to support the continuous improvement of the Plan.
The findings will provide insights into the outcomes and impact of initiatives implemented under the Creative Youth Plan 2023–2027. Moreover, they will inform recommendations for the next iteration of the Plan in the upcoming programming
period, as well as for other policy initiatives aimed at enhancing access to creative engagement for children and young people.
