As a new programme year begins, findings from the Year Two evaluation offer an encouraging picture of the changes recorded by young people taking part in PEACE of Mind.
PEACE of Mind is a story-based wellbeing initiative that uses Applied Storytelling to help students explore emotions, build confidence, strengthen resilience and understand other people’s experiences.
Research and evaluation
Conducted by The Open University
The Year Two research and evaluation was conducted by The Open University.
Its research team gathered and analysed pre- and post-programme survey data to examine changes reported by young people following their participation in PEACE of Mind. The findings below are drawn from The Open University’s analysis of the matched survey responses.
Overall findings
Positive change across six areas
Across the overall matched sample, statistically significant improvements were recorded in:
01
Mental wellbeing
02
Resilience
03
Self-confidence
04
Relationships with others
05
Prosocial behaviour
06
Conflict resolution
Individual survey responses
How young people felt and expressed themselves
35%
showed positive movement in feeling relaxed
31%
felt more able to handle whatever comes their way
31%
felt more confident doing things by themselves
32%
showed positive movement in sharing personal thoughts
32%
showed positive movement on a separate question about finding it difficult to express themselves
Responding to disagreement
More constructive responses after an argument
The evaluation recorded positive movement in how young people considered responding to disagreement:
32%
trying to understand the other person’s perspective
30%
trying to find middle ground
29%
trying to talk things through
Together, these findings show measurable improvements in how young people felt, how confidently they expressed themselves and how they considered responding to disagreement.
7,000+
students reached
60+
schools across Northern Ireland and the border counties
Learn more
Explore PEACE of Mind
Learn more about PEACE of Mind and how you can register on to the programme.
Funding acknowledgement
PEACE of Mind is funded by PEACEPLUS and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).