Scottish Mentoring and Leadership Programme: interim report - qualitative process and impact assessment

Appendix 2: text from young person information sheet

Information leaflet

Research about the Scottish Mentoring and Leadership Programme

The Scottish Government wants to know how well the Scottish Mentoring and Leadership Programme has been working and what difference, if any, it’s making for young people.

They have asked Ipsos Scotland (an independent research organisation) to speak to young people to help them find out. Before taking part, it’s important that you understand why this research is taking place and what it will involve.

How can I help?

They have asked Ipsos Scotland (an independent research organisation) to speak to young people to help them find out. Before taking part, it’s important that you understand why this research is taking place and what it will involve.

The Scottish Mentoring and Leadership Programme includes Young Scottish Talent (delivered by MCR Pathways) and the Columba 1400 Young Person’s Leadership Academy (YPLA).

You’ve been randomly picked to take part in the research because you take part in one or both of these programmes. We hope you can share your views!

What does the research involve?

Taking part involves a short in-person one-to-one interview with a researcher from Ipsos (photos on next page). It will last around 40 minutes or one school period. The interview will happen in June 2024 and will take place in school.

The interview will be relaxed and informal and you don’t need to prepare anything to take part. You can have a friend there if you would like.

For your information, we will also be interviewing some parents/carers to hear their views on the programme. If your parent/carer takes part, this will be a completely separate interview to yours, and they will not hear what you said in your interview.

The researcher will ask you about things like:

• What kind of activities you’ve taken part in as part of the Programme
• How you feel now compared to the start of the Programme
• If there’s anything you’ve done differently since the start of the Programme
• If there’s anything you would change about the Programme

There are no right or wrong answers. We’re just keen to hear about your experiences.

How will my information be used?

We would like to audio-record our discussions (but will only do so with your agreement). Your responses to the interview will be completely confidential and anonymous and will not be seen by anybody outside of Ipsos Scotland and the transcriber. All data will be destroyed after the evaluation is finished.

Ipsos will write a report of the findings for the Scottish Government. The report will be published and is likely to use quotes, but we will not name or identify anyone. If you do not want us to quote anything you say, please just let us know.

Do I have to take part?

No. It is entirely your choice whether or not you take part and you can change your mind at any time without giving us a reason. You can also choose not to answer individual questions and/or leave the discussion completely.

What are my rights?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of rules and regulations designed to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals. We have a legal duty to inform you about why we are collecting information from you for the research.

We provide this information in our Privacy Notice which should be read alongside this information sheet. It outlines what information we will collect and why, and your rights.

What happens now?

If you are under 16, we will need to ask your parent or carer for permission before we speak to you. We have a separate information sheet for them.

If you are happy to take part, please speak to the person who gave you this information leaflet. This might have been your teacher or Young Scottish Talent coordinator.

If there is anything we can do to make it easier for you to take part, please let us know using the contact details below.

Where can I get more information?

If you would like more information about the research, or have any questions, you can speak to your teacher or Young Scottish Talent coordinator. Or you can get in touch with Ipsos using the contact details below.

Call or message [researcher] on: [mobile number]

Email Ipsos at: Scotland-SMLP@ipsos.com