The #BeeWell survey – designed as a gold standard survey for the measurement of adolescent wellbeing across England – has returned to Greater Manchester for a third year, as well as launching in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton for the first time.
Over 300 secondary, special, independent schools, and alternative provision settings have signed up to participate in the 2023 #BeeWell survey, which will gather the views of young people on a range of topics including emotions, relationships, aspirations, and health.
Developed in response to a growing concern that the wellbeing of young people in the UK is among the lowest on the world, the #BeeWell programme is a collaboration between The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud, who – together with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) – launched the programme in 2019.
The expansion into Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton for 2023 will help to identify issues affecting young people’s wellbeing across the local area, as well as enhancing understanding of the issues nationally.
Since the survey was first launched in 2021, the #BeeWell programme has heard from over 60,000 young people in Greater Manchester and inspired partners including the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Arts Council England and local VCSE organisations to improve wellbeing provision for young people. It has also provided opportunities for young people in Greater Manchester to gain new health qualifications, discuss survey findings with politicians, and even commission new wellbeing activities in their local communities.
The results of the 2023 survey will be shared with schools in January 2024, with an interactive data dashboard, the #BeeWell Neighbourhood Data Hive, going live on the #BeeWell website in April Participating schools, communities, voluntary sector organisations and young people themselves are among those who will be called on to act on the survey results and help bring about positive change to wellbeing provision for young people, both locally and nationally.
The survey window opened on Monday 18 September, coinciding with the start of #BeeWell Week. To celebrate the week and start a conversation with young people, a range of activities and resources have been designed by #BeeWell’s Coalition of Partners and Youth Steering Group and made available on the #BeeWell website. Activities include the #BeeWell Festival at Mayfield Depot in Manchester on Thursday 21 September, where young people from across the Greater Manchester city region can enjoy a range of wellbeing workshops, and sports activities.
“#BeeWell gives a voice to young people and highlights important issues that we’re facing in Greater Manchester like the previous survey finding that shows only 9 in every average classroom are getting enough sleep to concentrate in school,” said Maria, a member of the #BeeWell Youth Steering Group. “I’m really looking forward to sharing my voice as part of this year’s survey and encourage all year 10 students to do the same so that #BeeWell can act with us to create change.”
“We are excited to be working with partners to launch the third annual #BeeWell survey, especially this year as the programme is building on the success in Greater Manchester by expanding into Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton,” said Professor Jessica Deighton from The Anna Freud Centre. “We really look forward to hearing the voices of more young people across the country to understand more about what supports their wellbeing.”
“It is crucial that we hear directly from the young people themselves in conversations about their wellbeing,” said David Gregson from The Gregson Family Foundation. “I’m delighted that such a high proportion of schools have committed to taking part in the #BeeWell survey this autumn. The feedback young people share, will give weight to the debate about their wellbeing, informing how we collectively act to deliver improvements.”
