Educational outcomes of Discovery College participation for young people

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand why young people and adults enrolled in co-produced, co-received Discovery College (a youth-focused Recovery College) courses, what their experience of participating was, and whether attitudes towards education changed as a result of course participation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a pre- and post-participation survey to assess both the qualitative experience of participants in Discovery College courses, along with a quantitative component measuring change in attitudes to education and learning opportunities.

Findings

The project found that participating in Discovery College benefitted young people through: an improved attitude towards education; and greater likelihood of participating in future study after completing a Discovery College course. People who participated in Discovery College courses, both young people and adults were positive about their experiences with the college and experienced positive attitude change. This work demonstrates the importance of Discovery College as part of a holistic approach to the care of young people with mental illness.

Originality/value

This paper reports on one of the first evaluations of youth-focused Recovery Colleges globally. It provides evidence of the effectiveness of the Recovery College model for a youth cohort.

Citation

Hopkins, L., Pedwell, G. and Lee, S. (2018), "Educational outcomes of Discovery College participation for young people", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 195-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-07-2018-0024