Learning from myplace

An evaluation of the Department for Education's programme to develop world-class youth centres across England.

“Young people need exciting places where they can just be themselves and safe places where they can access support and grasp opportunity. Places where we can offer positive challenges. Places that say 'you are important; we care'.”

Sir Steve Redgrave, myplace Support Team Ambassador

Through myplace the Department for Education has given 63 projects across England capital grants of between £1 million and £5 million to develop high-quality youth centres that give young people access to a wide range of activities and support services. myplace puts young people into the lead in planning and delivering projects that respond to local needs and priorities. At the same time, the programme promoted partnership working across sectors.

The Big Fund delivered myplace on behalf of the Department for Education. We commissioned the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University to evaluate the programme, focusing on:

the achievements of myplace and other youth centres and facilities and how best to measure their impact;
the costs of sustaining provision and how this should inform future investment decisions; and
how myplace and other youth centres and facilities generate income, and what the wider lessons for investing in youth facilities are.

The evaluation ran from November 2011 to March 2013.

The main findings from the evaluation include the following:

myplace centres are delivering a range of activities which are valued by young people, and which have attracted large numbers of young people, many of whom have not previously attended youth centres.
myplace is associated with a range of positive outcomes for young people. The evaluation has been able to identify a positive programme impact in exercise and enjoyment of school.
Investing in high-quality centres has enabled more young people to benefit from taking part in positive activities,