How community-led research is improving understanding of youth mental health in Shetland: A Q&A with Shannon from OPEN

Over the last few years, OPEN has collaborated with researchers on a number of projects aiming to better understand youth mental wellbeing in Shetland. We recently sat down with Shannon Boston, one of the peer researchers involved, to hear more about their experience of doing community-led research.

Could you tell us a bit about your project and what you’ve been up to recently?

We’ve done a couple of projects through The Ideas Fund over the last few years. First we did the OPEN Space Project that was all about creating a safe space for young people to combat isolation and develop connections. That was really successful. Some of the things that young people have said about it are:

• ‘The OPEN Project has been a massive part of me growing in confidence and knowledge on all sorts of topics from the training I have had the opportunity to take part in. Without having OPEN to be that safe space for me to be, I would be a very different person with a lot of unresolved mental health issues. OPEN has been indescribably beneficial to my mental health as well as physical health.’

• ‘It gave me a sense of belonging and it gave me a purpose in life attending meetings and taking part in workshops, activities and training. I could talk openly about issues I was having without being judged and I have made some really good friends through OPEN.’

Then we started another project that’s looking at why young people choose to interact with alcohol and other drugs and what they feel about Shetland’s culture surrounding alcohol and other drugs.

A lot of the time we don’t realise we’re walking around with our own stigmas, and we pick them up really young. So it’s been really interesting to watch young people start to unpick those in our focus groups and other conversations. One of the biggest things that has come out of the research is that young people really want a trusted adult. They want someone to turn to when things get scary and they don’t want to be afraid to ask for help.

That’s why as part of this project we’ve been facilitating community conversations that bring people from across the community together to talk about this stuff. I’m really hoping to connect with more parents and guardians. There’s definitely a generational gap within Shetland in terms of attitudes towards alcohol and drugs. Things have moved on from the ‘just no’ type campaigns of the 80s – young people now get taught way more about harm reduction. But parents don’t have the same access to up to date information from reputable sources. In our next community conversation, we’re going to talk a bit about social media and how you can make sure that the information you’re accessing is reliable.

'One of the biggest things that has come out of the research is that young people really want a trusted adult. They want someone to turn to when things get scary and they don’t want to be afraid to ask for help.'

One of the interesting things about The Ideas Fund is the collaboration with academic researchers. How did you find that process?

The researchers have been totally invaluable and they both bring different skill sets. Jennifer, one of our researchers, was born in the Shetlands so she was really well informed and already had ties to the community. She gave us a crash course in doing research. She also made us do a lot of the thinking, which was really beneficial. I recently started a new project and thought to myself, ‘I need a Jennifer’, but then I realised I could make a good start without a Jennifer, before going back for further guidance, because she’s taught me so much.

We’ve also been working with another researcher, Amy, who has also been invaluable. She’s our ethics woman and has shown us how to make sure that all of our work is being directed by the young people at every stage.

My education was quite limited before I came into this. I’m good at using my initiative and being independent, but I don’t really have that formal education behind me, so being able to check in with the researchers just meant I could do my job with confidence and peace of mind.

'.. being able to check in with the researchers just meant I could do my job with confidence and peace of mind.'

Were there any challenges with this approach? If so, how did you navigate them?

I think getting your foot in the door with people is always tricky. With our first project (the OPEN Space Project), one young person said there was no point getting involved because nothing would ever change. But in the end, that person really engaged and came up with some amazing ideas for the project.

We live in a rural community and it can sometimes be hard to access people. And we don’t want to interact with somebody if they don’t want us in their space and there’s not informed consent all the way. We’re trying to make sure it’s all ethical and community-led.

For the alcohol and drugs project, we were really struggling for numbers. I think that was also partly due to the ethics processes and sensitive nature of the topic. But we managed to get the Head Teacher of a local school to circulate our survey and it got loads of responses, which was amazing.

How has your experience been being part of The Ideas Fund?

The Ideas Fund has been really amazing. It’s given us the opportunity to get funding, and through the Community of Practices I’ve gained a lot of connections and been able to meet different people and pick their brains. So it’s really opened up doors.

The team behind The Ideas Fund really nurture you and give you opportunities but there’s no push. There’s just always a door open for you. Sometimes with other programmes, it’s very much ‘did you tick this box?’ ‘ok then, you’re worthy of an opportunity’, but I’ve never felt that way with The Ideas Fund.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future of youth mental health?

My biggest message is compassion. It’s all about compassion at the end of the day. I want all kids to grow up in Shetland feeling nurtured, held and listened to. I want young people to feel a sense of connection and belonging with our community. And I want them to feel like they’ve got a say in their own future, and they’re holding the paddle.

' I want all kids to grow up in Shetland feeling nurtured, held and listened to. I want young people to feel a sense of connection and belonging with our community. And I want them to feel like they’ve got a say in their own future, and they’re holding the paddle.'

A big thank you to Shannon for taking the time to talk to us. Keen to hear more about this work? Have a read of this blog series written by Shannon.