Welcome to the Connectedness in Youth Project

Nga Hononga o te Rangatahi

Researchers at the Roy McKenzie Centre, in partnership with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, have begun a major longitudinal research project funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, focusing on Youth Connectedness. The overall aim of this project is to optimise the chances of youth having positive experiences in adolescence and of overcoming the inevitable challenges of this life stage to become healthy and productive adults.

We focus on youth feeling connected to key institutions, on their positive participation in these domains, and on the measurable benefits of positive connection. We focus on young peoples' connectedness to: communities and wider society; families and whanau; and schools. The project has two major objectives, which are to examine how connectedness supports youth in negotiating the challenges of adolescence, and to identify modifiable factors that foster and enhance connectedness.

The research approach is a mixed-method, cross-lagged longitudinal design. Measures of connectedness, which are sensitive to NZ's unique social and cultural context, have been developed with youth. We are quantitatively and qualitatively following three cohorts of youth starting at ages 10, 12, and 14, for three years. We are providing snapshots of NZ youth each year, and analysing the causal links across time among potentially protective factors and positive outcomes.

Young people have been recruited in Wellington, Kapiti Coast, Wairarapa, Horowhenua, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, and Auckland. Information has been gathered by means of focus groups, key informant interviews, a survey that is completed on laptop computers, and individual interviews with a sub-sample of the young people and their families.

The development of a body of local contemporary knowledge about youth in their social context, and the identification of specific areas where practice and policy can be changed in order to enhance optimal development will be the basis for informing end-users of this research.

The project has three advisory boards: Youth, Maori and Stakeholders.

Youth advisors have been recruited onto the project from a range of schools and community networks in Wellington central, Porirua, Hutt Valley, Wainuiomata and Otaki. The group met during school holiday breaks in 2004 and 2005.

The Maori component of the project is overseen by the Kaupapa Maori Research Group (KMRG) consisting of Maori researchers. KMRG will expand to include Kaumatua, stakeholders from participating agencies and iwi advisors.

The stakeholder group incudes members from a range of government, non-governmental and community organisations interested in youth connectedness.