#BeeWell 

#BeeWell is a programme that annually measures the wellbeing of young people and brings together a Coalition of Partners from across civil society to deliver meaningful, youth-centred actions as a result. Co-created with 150 young people from its founding region, Greater Manchester, #BeeWell combines academic expertise with support from the education, voluntary and business sectors in order to make the wellbeing of young people everybody’s business.

The programme originates from a collaboration between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, University of Manchester, Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families and the Gregson Family Foundation. You can find out more about the background of #BeeWell here.

#BeeWell’s three main principles are to:

• Listen to young people’s voices
• Act together for change
• Celebrate young people’s wellbeing

#BeeWell has been designed to reflect and respond to issues of interest and relevance to young people today, created through a youth-centred partnership with 14 pathfinder schools. The measures have been quality assured by a group of twenty researchers from across academia and government, with the results rigorously analysed and accurately present by the #BeeWell research team housed at the University of Manchester. Find out more about the survey content.

In two years, over 60,000 young people have completed the #BeeWell survey, at more than 185 schools in Greater Manchester.

We published the findings from the first year of surveys in March 2022, and all #BeeWell publications can be found here. Headline findings included:

• Girls reported lower levels of wellbeing than boys.
• There are sizeable inequalities for young people who identify as LGBTQ+, who on average report higher levels of stress and emotional difficulties.
• Only 1 in 3 young people reach the recommended levels of physical activity set by the Government’s Chief Medical Officer.

The #BeeWell programme received national coverage when it published the headline findings of the 2021 survey. The Times Education Commission explored the #BeeWell findings and programme in their June 2022 report, to support their recommendation that there should be an annual wellbeing survey rolled out in every school. Read more, here.

Participating schools also receive feedback to support the wellbeing of young people, along with follow-up support from the Anna Freud Centre.

Arts and cultural organisations, youth clubs, sports clubs, businesses, charities and other actors have committed to working together to improve young people’s wellbeing, by joining our Coalition of Partners. Find out more about our Coalition, here. And, read about some of the actions our partners have taken in response to the data, here.

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