Proposed Title: Youth digital culture co-creators | Measuring the social impact in Scotland 

 

Nowadays digital technologies comprise a core element of youth work practices across Europe (Harvey, 2016). Digital media have been used to enhance communication, self-expression and advocacy, within and between youth projects (Black et al., 2015). Thus, young people are no longer solely perceived as end-tech-users or customers, but as makers, doers and co-crators of digital culture (Ito et al., 2013). 

 

However, whilst there is an increasing interest in youth-centred digital projects, it is also clear that measuring the young people's participation in digital culture co-creation has become increasingly difficult (Wilson & Grant, 2017). There is currently  a limited understanding of how to measure or understand the impact of youth digital participation (Guha et  al, 2010; Mackril & Ebsen, 2017; Pawluczuk, 2018). Both scholars (Mackril & Ebsen, 2017) and youth practitioners (Wilson & Grant, 2017), have called for further research into social impact evaluations of the interactions between young people and digital technologies.

 

The purpose of this doctoral research project is to enrich the current understanding of social impact and social impact evaluation of youth digital culture co-creation. This study aims to 1) review digital youth practitioners understanding of social impact and social impact evaluation methodologies in the context of youth centred digital work; 2) to work with young  young participants as co-researchers, to understand their views of social impact and social impact evaluation practice of youth centred digital work; 3) to provide insights and propose youth co-designed evaluation approaches for youth centred digital work

 

My research is funded by Edinburgh Napier University & supervised by Dr Gemma Wesbter , Dr Colin Smith   and Professor Hazel Hall 

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