Youth LIVES and Youth VOICES

Background

Youth mental health is a global priority challenge. Young people deserve to have their needs met by mental health research that asks and answers the questions that matter most to them.

Achieving this goal requires researchers to view young people with lived experience not only as participants in their studies or recipients of their findings, but as partners and leaders in their own right. This requires citizen science to adopt radically different ways of working with young people that facilitate equal contribution throughout the research process.

Beyond the direct impacts of enhancing both researchers and young people’s knowledge and skills, this can ensure more relevant, accessible and impactful research is conducted and communicated.

Youth LIVES

Youth LIVES was a citizen science mental health research project that sought to produce priority mental health research proposals for young people. The project brought together youth co-researchers (young people aged 14-21 with lived experience of mental health) with mental health researchers across a program of facilitated sessions to identify research areas of interest; conduct evidence mapping and other knowledge sharing activities; build appropriate research methods, and co-create and share a co-designed research proposal.

The project was split into 4 research teams, focused on youth priority topics identified through co-design sessions. These topics were

• Access to mental health support and support in schools
• Neurodiversity and mental health in young people
• Pets and animal companions and youth mental health
• Suicide and self harm in young people

Our approach was based on radical collaboration: youth co-researchers were equal partners in identifying priority research questions and developing research proposals to address these. The project supported young people in being fully integrated into the design and development process, with capacity building, relationship building and financial reimbursement to enable young people to take an active role and work with confidence alongside professional researchers. Through peer-to-peer learning and signposting to methods and materials, we supported researchers in making an authentic space for collaboration with the young people.

Insights

Youth LIVES generated two unique types of knowledge:

• new, innovative and relevant angles on mental health research, with new research insights developed from the lived experience and perspectives of the youth co-researchers and incorporated into research proposals;
• learning about participatory methods with communities in mental health research, policy and practice, from evaluation of the participants’ experience of taking part in the project.

There are many perceived benefits to embedding co-creation within mental health research but, in the current UK climate, there are also significant barriers to conducting citizen science in research institutions.

In the presentation shared below, Rhys explores both the contribution citizen science can make to mental health research and the challenges this poses. Please contact Rhys if you wish to share this presentation or use any of the content.

Youth LIVES  ran from 2021 to 2024 and is continuing to generate research outputs. 

Youth VOICES

Youth VOICES (2025 – 2027) builds on Youth LIVES, bringing together young people with lived experience of mental health challenges from Youth LIVES to share their stories, ideas, and insights.to co-produce podcasts

Read more about Youth VOICES.