The Gloucestershire Youth Forums Evaluation

This report presents the findings from an evaluation of the Youth Forums Project which is a Police and young people engagement initiative that uses restorative approaches, coaching skills and theatre arts to improve relations between the two parties. The research was commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire, with the support of Restorative Gloucestershire, and was conducted by a research team from the School of Natural and Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire. The methodology comprised of participant observations and face to face interviews with Police Officers, young people and project facilitators at three Youth Forums in Stroud, Tetbury, and Gloucester, and later, at a structured Police follow up session in Gloucester. The young people involved were entered into the project through their membership of youth clubs and other youth initiatives and came from diverse backgrounds. The participating Police Officers were drawn from a range of different police roles and ranks and included neighbourhood officers, response officers and criminal investigators. The research is situated against wider national discourses on a perceived crisis in relations between young people and the Police.