Everybody's Reading Toolkit
STOCKPORT
Project 1 - Focus Group
Aim
A focus group of young people within the age range to meet regularly in the library to work towards the changing environment and stock selection.
Where
These sessions took place in the library every two weeks from 4:30-6:30pm on a day decided by those attending.
Target group
Local young people 16-25yrs as identified by surveys with an interest in having say!
What took place
Every session had a rough agenda and was minuted. Young people were invited to each session by letter and received a copy of the agenda and minutes. Refreshments were always available! The sessions were always informal with people arriving when they could and leaving when they had to.
Decisions were made democratically and I acted as a go-between with staff and the steering-group when the focus group made demands or requested answers I could not instantly provide. The sessions dried up when the area was created and we are about to have an informal evaluation session at the local bowling alley to thank them for their input.
Interest in the project was maintained through: different visuals used in sessions; encouraging ownership of the project; listening to their ideas and feeding back - acting on what is said, and; taking young people on a book buying trip near the end!
Tips, strengths and weaknesses
Tips
- ALWAYS provide food and drink!
- Have an agenda but be prepared to deviate from it!
- Discuss how they want to run things.
- Act as a mediator with staff and other library users.
- The bigger the group, the more input, the better!
Strength
- A small group meant everyone got say and was listened to. Also, people got to know each other really well and enjoyed meeting up as a group.
Weakness
- We only had between 3 and 6 young people attending, which tended to make decisions more difficult - it was felt more people would have provided a wider range of views. They were fairly anxious about putting together a collection with so few ideas.
Training Template
Half day session for staff interested in setting up focus groups
- 1. Introduction - Ask staff if they could change 3 things in the library including stock and design to suit themselves what would they choose - In pairs and feedback
- 2. Talk about different methods of consulting people and their strengths and weaknesses such as survey, focus group, questionnaire, one to one interview. Link to best value and customer care - ie we have an obligation now to consult people and also to tailor our service to what people want
- 3. Ask staff to brainstorm advantages of focus group as a way of involving young people
- 4. Hand out this example of how it has been done
- 5. Get people in threes to plan a first session they might run and an agenda, plus how they would attract young people to attend
- 6. Feed back and finish
Project 2 - Healthy Lifestyles Open Day
Funded by the Health Ladder Project
Smoking and Young People in Stockport
Aim
To raise awareness amongst young people of the issues surrounding healthy lifestyles through discussion and group work with young people in a group work setting; to put together a resources collection for the library, and; to create a piece of art work on issues surrounding smoking.
Where
Marple Library Saturday 28th April 2001 from 11am-3pm
Target group
Local young people
What took place
2 Artist Sessions were held in the local young peoples centre in the week prior to the event discussing issues surrounding smoking and creating two pictures about these issues.
Stall holders on the day included:
- Stockport Bodyshop running makeovers and facials
- Marple Bodytone running mini Reiki sessions and Reflexology
- Central Youth with information about services for young people in Stockport
- Healthy Bites donated by Marple Co-Op and Wilson's Fruit and Veg, Marple
- A sample collection with information about the Reading Lifelines project and upcoming events
- The Resources Collection funded by Health Ladder Promotions
- Books to Lift Your Spirits - a collection from the Library
Information on display from:
- Ridge Danyers College
- Young People's Drug Project, Stockport
- Free recipe cards donated by Sainsburys
Tips, strengths and weaknesses
Tips
- Make sure you have enough staff there to help you set up and pack away!
- Be prepared for stallholders to drop out at the last minute and/or with no warning - have enough there to fill your space.
- Ensure there is enough for young people to get involved with - the art sessions proved so popular we did more artwork on the day! Plus the Reiki was very popular.
- Don't start too early - many people didn't turn up till midday! General consensus is that 10am on a Saturday is too ear...
- Involve library staff - if they feel ownership of the event, they will promote it.
Strengths
The local community, Schools and Colleges were very supportive and we had lots of people interested in the project and wanting to have a stall - there were also upwards of 30 young people who turned up!
Weaknesses
- Too much setting up and packing away had to be done by too few pairs of hands
- Half day session for staff interested in setting up focus groups
- 1. Introduction - Ask staff if they could change 3 things in the library including stock and design to suit themselves what would they choose - In pairs and feedback
- 2. Talk about different methods of consulting people and their strengths and weaknesses such as survey, focus group, questionnaire, one to one interview. Link to best value and customer care - ie we have an obligation now to consult people and also to tailor our service to what people want
- 3. Ask staff to brainstorm advantages of focus group as a way of involving young people
- 4. Hand out this example of how it has been done
- 5. Get people in threes to plan a first session they might run and an agenda, plus how they would attract young people to attend
- 6. Feed back and finish
Training Template
See Rochdale Project 2 for training template on event planning
