Herts YPAG

Who are we?

We are a young people’s research advisory group for children and young people aged 8-18 who live in Hertfordshire. We learn about research and work with researchers to help them plan and do research about children and young people’s health, care, family lives and the communities we live in.

We meet about every two months in evenings after school/college or at weekends, either at the University of Hertfordshire or online.

You can contact us at: ypag@herts.ac.uk. We’re also on Twitter @HertsYPAG

The team

Louca-Mai Brady (group facilitator) Sonya Prime

Kathryn Almack Julia Jones

Brian Littlechild

What we do

In our meetings researchers from the university and other organizations come to talk to the group about their research ideas and projects. We have worked with lots of different researchers including projects on mental health, the ways your environment and where you live can shape who you are, dealing with loss and bereavement, and experiences with speaking to and being treated by health professionals.
As well as giving researchers advice on how to make their research children and young people-friendly, we also:

Learn about how research is done and different research topics
Share ideas about what we think should be researched
Get involved in doing research
Write blog posts and publications and present at conferences
Have fun!

Researchers - get in touch!

‘I found it really helpful to speak with the YPAG right at the start of developing a research proposal. They handled a sensitive subject very well, and provided some useful insights into how young people seek support, which I will build into my work.’

For researchers wanting to collaborate with the group:

Contact the group facilitator to discuss your project and how the group could be involved.
We will then help you plan, prepare and deliver your session(s).
You will be asked to sign a Researcher Agreement Form, which sets out very clearly what to expect from the group and what we expect in return.
We strongly encourage researchers to attend one or more meetings in person/online so that you can engage directly with the group and answer any questions they may have. But if this isn’t possible we may be able to present your research to the group for review and provide you with feedback.
After the meeting we will contact you to gain feedback on how working with the YPAG has informed your research. This is really important as it demonstrates the impact of young people’s role in the design and delivery of research.

Latest from Hertfordshire YPAG

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Herts YPAG 2.0 is go! By Benita

We had our first meeting on 19th March at the University of Hertfordshire. We had 14 new group members who attended – aged between 9 to 17. I joined the YPAG group because I am interested in research and I wanted to know more, I thought that it was a great opportunity to work with […]

Herts YPAG is looking for new members

Update: We have had a lot of interest in the group which means that unfortunately we are not currently able to accept any new applications. If you would like to be informed when we have spaces available for new group members please email us at ypag@herts.ac.uk The Hertfordshire young people’s advisory group (Herts YPAG) is […]

Holly’s report: how YPAG meetings can help shape research

Read Holly’s account of how the Hertfordshire YPAG has been shaping research and policy during COVID restrictions.