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The Excellent Evaluators Brilliant Blogpost

By Louca-Mai Brady,

Written by: Benita, Jacob, Zuyi, Lauren and Helen

Background to the YPAG Evaluation

The Herts YPAG started in March 2022 and is made up of a group of young people living in Hertfordshire who are aged 10-18 years old. Since April 2025, the YPAG Excellent Evaluators team have been conducting an evaluation of the Herts YPAG, to look back on our first three years.

The purpose of undertaking an evaluation is to understand the impact of the Herts YPAG, both on YPAG members and on the wider health and social care research with which the YPAG members have been involved in. The Excellent Evaluators team has included three current YPAG members and two members of staff from the University of Hertfordshire who are involved with facilitating the YPAG.

As part of the evaluation, we have been learning more about ourselves as a group and considering the positives and negatives of the Herts YPAG, so that we’re able to shape a better environment for both the young people and researchers.

What activities have you taken part in as part of the YPAG evaluation? 

The Herts YPAG Evaluation has involved taking part in lots of different activities, including designing the focus of the research and research questions, training on conducting interviews and focus groups and then leading them, and data analysis. During the evaluation we have collected data during focus groups, interviews and surveys, and reviewed existing (secondary) data using feedback forms.  

Zuyi: I have really enjoyed hosting interviews and focus groups, and they have helped to develop my communication and teamwork skills. 

What’s one thing you’re proud of from being part of this evaluation? 

Jacob: Leading the focus group, I feel like this really helped with my research skills and my bonds within the YPAG.

Benita: Being able to work in a group as a very independent person and knowing that I’m going to make a change.

Zuyi: Being able to set up and host an in-person YPAG meeting, despite being a very new member. It’s something I thought I would find very challenging, but due to support from Helen and Lauren, I managed to accomplish it, so I am quite proud of what I’ve done being part of the YPAG so far.

What was challenging, and how did you deal with it? 

Benita: Understanding some of the material and asking for help. Lauren and Helen have the attitude that no questions are silly, and it really helps with our confidence and asking questions. 

Jacob: The whole new research techniques were so hard but all I had to do was ask and it helped me so much. 

Zuyi: Sometimes during the focus group it was quiet and hard to gather opinions from everyone, and during the analysis afterwards, it was difficult to interpret what people have said – a sense of ambiguity.

What did you learn — about yourself, or about working with adults/academics? 

Benita: I’ve gained a new perspective of things, the more you read into different types of data, or like different types of research, I think that’s really interesting. 

Zuyi: I’ve found a new sense of confidence in myself.

If someone your age was going to do something like this, what advice would you give them? 

Benita: You don’t have to be too confident. Don’t be shy about your thoughts, because your opinions are yours and people can learn from them, so don’t be afraid to share them. No  question is a silly question. 

Zuyi: Always give new opportunities a try if you have time as it will teach you skills you will need in life. 

What’s next?  

We’ll be publishing a report, and submitting an article to an academic journal, in the Autumn of 2025. We also hope to share our findings in a number of different ways: through a podcast, producing a shareable ‘Guide to working with a YPAG’, and maybe even at a conference!