During the last 18 months or so, PACE have been busy conducting a ‘needs assessment’ of all young people who have accessed services provided by the PACE Youth Network. The comprehensive ‘PACE Youth Survey’ asks specific questions about how our young users feel about their lives in relation to:

• emotional health and well-being
• family and support networks
• experiences of bullying and discrimination
• exercise, diet, nutrition
• drug and alcohol use
• sexual health and risk of HIV infection

Young people complete an initial youth survey needs assessment form when they first access our youth groups or other support services, and youth workers conduct follow up (or tracking) surveys at regular intervals, while they continue to stay engaged with us. To date, 141 needs assessments have been completed by PACE. Initial results reveal some worrying statistics about how lgbt young people feel at the point of accessing our services, for example:

• 28% have attempted suicide by the time they reach us
• 17% regularly think about harming themselves at point of contact
• 19% are deliberately hurting themselves

In total 34% have attempted suicide, harmed themselves or thought about harming themselves in the 6 months prior to accessing support

• 27% feel isolated often or most of the time
• 20% never or only occasionally feel good about themselves
• 17% never or only occasionally feel confident with other people
• 30% feel worried/anxious often or most of the time

40% experienced negative reactions when they told someone about their sexuality - a significant number have told no one at all

• 25% felt they would be in danger from someone they knew for being LGBT (commonly a family member)
• 21% are being actively bullied at point of contact
• 16% have used class A drugs

In all, 71% of young people who accessed PACE Youth services reported one or more of these indicators of need

We hope to publish further findings from the PACE Youth Survey, on our website sometime during 2009.

Tags: LGBT Youth Research London PACE Youth Network