Young Healthwatch Resources
EMAHSN top tips when engaging with children and young people
1. Environment
Consider your environment. Always use a space which meets the needs of your audience.
2. Learning styles
Consider using a range of different learning styles. For example people may have an ‘Activist’ approach to their learning and will need to actively take part.
3. Ownership
Ensure your audience is able to have full ownership. Consider how you engage and use local champions to drive work forward.
4. Access
Make sure meetings are accessible and consider your language and the terminology you use to ensure everyone is able to fully take part.
5. Creative
Be creative and use a full range of tools and resources to ensure you engage with your audience.
6. Listen to your audience
Use active listening skills to ensure you get the correct feedback and views from your groups.
7. Be organised
Where possible plan your work in advance to ensure its correct focus. This is particularly key if you are organising transport.
8. Clothing
Where possible ensure you make your audience feel comfortable, so match your clothing with your groups however be clean, smart and presentable.
9. Common ground
Build relationships from “common interests” and use this to create conversations and develop your group.
10. Evaluate your journey
Ensure all members of your group are able to comment on their experiences as a way to gather views and ideas.
Read the full document
Other useful links and contacts
- www.youngminds.org.uk - Young minds champion children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing across the UK.
- www.themix.org.uk - For under 25s. The mix gives you the information and support you need to deal with issues you find embarrassing, weird questions, and various other topics.
- www.healthtalk.org - Healthtalk.org provides free, reliable information about health issues, by sharing people's real-life experiences. You can watch people sharing their stories about cancer, autism, motor-neurone disease, pregnancy, drugs, depression and much more.
- www.papyrus-uk.org - Prevention of young suicide. PAPYRUS exists to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
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Getting help to overcome abuse: a quick guide for young people receiving support. - "You don’t have to live in silence, feel trapped or be alone any more." The guide helps young people to understand what is meant by abuse and neglect and describes how they might feel because of their experience. There are also links to other organisations that can help.
