Lay summary
Improving youth wellbeing is an increasing priority of policy makers, researchers and politicians in NZ. But what does wellbeing mean to young New Zealanders today? This exploratory research project investigates young New Zealanders’ talk about wellbeing (and its facilitators and constraints). The proposed research has a two-part design. Firstly, 60 Aucklanders aged 16-18 will participate in semi-structured interviews exploring their understanding(s) of wellbeing. Secondly, interviewees will be invited to participate in a two-day workshop where key findings from the interviews will be collaboratively explored and discussed with a small group of health sector representatives. This research fills the need for an in-depth, qualitative understanding of diverse young people’s perceptions of wellbeing. It will also provide an empirical knowledge base for policy development and for refining local prevention initiatives. The project’s participatory design will also ensure that young people are participants in the policy and primary prevention conversations that involve them.
This grant was awarded to Massey University but was later transfered to Victoria University of Wellington, Research Trust of.