This set of stories came from the recent evaluation of the Cedar work.
They are composite stories based on themes from across different data sources. They’re told by young people and mothers who’d been in Cedar groups and the staff that ran the groups. These stories reveal what the narrators liked and didn’t like about their experience of Cedar; what mattered to them and what worked well for them; the things that caused anxieties or conflicts and what gave them comfort or reassurance.
They reveal much about the deeper issues and meanings that they attach to their experience; the assumptions, values, expectations, ways of seeing and emotions of which they may not always have been aware, may have found to be ‘un-discussible’ or chosen not to speak about.
At a final evaluation event, these stories were ‘told’ by volunteers for whom they had some resonance; story tellers included Cedar graduates, Coordinators and Co-facilitators. The stories were analysed through a group process which drew out key themes and learning and from which the participants together developed recommendations. Listen and let us know what you think. Thanks to all those who shared their stories throughout this work.