Research tips
Coming up with project ideas isn’t just about sitting around a table and writing down the first thing that comes into your head.
Doing a bit of research and speaking to people or reading about local issues can help give you loads of ideas.
It also backs up your ideas. Organisations are much more likely to give you funding if you make a strong case for your project. Imagine how hard it will be argue with you if you can show them evidence about the problem that your project will be helping to solve.
Here are some tips on researching your project:
Local newspapers
Reading things like local newspapers is a great way of getting local people’s opinions. Just look at any letters page in a newspaper — it’s jam packed full of debate and opinion! Photocopy any stories or pages that talk about your subject.
Talk is cheap
Why not arrange to meet up with a friend or someone you know that has strong opinions about issues in your area?
If you do arrange to meet up, ask lots of questions.
Top interview tips:
Agree a good time to meet up with the person you’re meeting — don’t just turn up out of the blue!
Before you meet up, think about what you want to get from the meeting.
Write down the questions you’re going to ask well before your meeting — and think about how they may change depending on what the person says.
When you do meet up, be on time and be polite — after all, someone’s giving up their free time to help you out.
Ask questions which are open ended and not just ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions. That way you’ll get much more feedback and opinion from the person.
If you’re not sure what someone has said or don’t understand it, ask them to repeat it. You won’t look stupid — you’ll seem interested.
Make sure you’ve got everything you need before finishing up. If possible, go through the notes you’ve made with the person
Remember: always take care when agreeing to meet up with someone for an interview or chat. Avoid meeting up with strangers, but if you have to, always let people know you’re meeting up with someone and take a friend along with you, an adult or someone you trust. Be safe at all times!
For the record
If you’re not too good at taking notes, why not record your interview on a tape recorder or on your mobile phone. That way you’ll be able to replay the interview and make lots of detailed notes of what’s been said.
Remember: make sure you have someone’s permission first before recording their comments on tape or on your phone. You must get permission from the person’s parents if they’re under 16 years old.
Picture it!
Pictures can say a thousand words.
If your project is about how messy your local streets are, then it makes sense to take photos of the litter cluttering up your walk ways.
Remember: make sure you have someone’s permission first before taking their picture or their property. You will also need to get the permission of the person’s parent if you’re taking photos of young people under 16 years old.
It’s a fact
There’s nothing better than gettting somone’s genuine opinion and insight into local issues, but having some facts and figures can make your argument shine even more.
For example, if you were doing a project which will try to get more people to recycling their rubbish, it’d be a good idea to find out how many people are already recycling in your area.
Getting the latest facts means you can then see how serious a problem really is. For example, if there are no facts or figures available at all, then the problem might be really serious as no one has thought about it!
For things like recycling, facts and figures will be available on a local council’s website. To find your local council go to the government’s main website: http://www.direct.gov.uk.
Remember: when you’re doing your research, don’t assume that everything you read on the internet is fact. Try to find out where the information orginally came from.
Websites by official government departments or national organisations and charities are generally trustworthy, but always be on your guard for false information.