Co-Designing Wellbeing Initiatives With Rural Adolescents: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why
Joclyn Kernot1, Shoshannah Kiriam1, Sarah Seekamp1
1Innovation, Implementation and Clinical Transition (IIMPACT) Research Group, Allied Health and Human Performance, Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia.
Summary
Co-designing with rural youth identified practical, occupation-based mental health activities like car maintenance workshops. Meaningful youth participation requires flexible facilitation and inclusive methods for effective community wellbeing initiatives.
Area of Science:
- Community Psychology
- Youth Mental Health
- Co-design Methodology
Background:
- Rural Australian youth experience significant mental health disparities.
- Limited youth involvement in designing support services exacerbates inequities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore rural youth needs for mental health support through co-design.
- To evaluate the co-design process for its effectiveness in engaging young people.
Main Methods:
- Three co-design workshops with 13 youth (12-17 years) and 7 adults in South Australia.
- Utilized the Double Diamond design framework and PRODUCES co-production principles.
- Qualitative content analysis of workshop outputs and focus groups, with retrospective PROSECO framework evaluation.
Main Results:
- Co-designers prioritized occupation-based activities, prototyping a Car Maintenance Workshop and a Colour Fun Run.
- High participant satisfaction reported: 72% felt able to contribute, 96% found the process helpful.
- Key themes included engagement factors, process experience, participation dynamics, impact, and inclusion.
Conclusions:
- Flexible facilitation, anonymous contribution, and managed group dynamics are crucial for rural youth participation.
- Co-designed, occupation-based activities offer accessible, preventative mental health interventions.
- Prospective integration of co-design evaluation frameworks is recommended for future practice.
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