The purpose of the research was to develop knowledge of social impact evaluation of youth digital projects in Scotland.
To understand the process of evaluation, it was necessary to examine the perspectives of both digital youth workers and digital youth projects participants. Both groups provided insights into their experiences of social impact evaluation of digital youth projects and proposed future evaluation solutions.
The analysis of young people’s active participation in digital culture co-creation can be noted across various academic disciplines. However, while an increasing amount of information is provided on how to engage young people in digital projects, there remains limited information on how to evaluate their experiences of the process.
Currently, there is a knowledge gap in the way young people view their experiences of digital youth project facilitation and its evaluation. It is also evident that further research is required to understand youth workers (or digital youth projects facilitators) and their experiences of social impact evaluation.
To address the research, gap the following research questions were examined:
RQ1. What is the current understanding of the social impact of youth digital culture co-creation?
RQ2. What are the approaches used to evaluate the social impact of digital youth culture co-creation in Scotland?
RQ3. What are the experiences and perceptions of social impact evaluation among digital youth culture co-creation projects participants and projects facilitators in Scotland?
RQ4. To what extent could digital youth practitioner-led and youth-led social impact evaluation recommendations alter current evaluation practices?