What was the project all about?
In May 2004 to July 2006, BskyB and YouthNet worked in partnership to provide 14-19 year olds with vital information, advice and support, providing life-changing support to the BskyB Reach for the Sky users. This was achieved via BskyB’s Reach for the Sky website.
How did YouthNet support the campaign?
YouthNet worked to deliver a brand new area of Reach for the Sky, called Sorted! Within this new section YouthNet provided information and advice on a range of issues that are important to young people, all within a tone and style that they could relate to. Topics included school and home life, drugs and alcohol information, sex and relationships and careers and finances.
Each month throughout the partnership YouthNet worked closely with BskyB to agree areas of focus for the month ahead. YouthNet’s journalists developed key factsheets, new articles and real life stories for the website. To compliment the information provision, young people had access to a confidential Q&A service, askTheSite, so they could confidently ask sensitive and personal questions. On top of this the young people also had access to our database of archived questions and answers.
Partnership achievements
Over the course of the partnership, thousands of young people had regular access to the support and advice contained within Sorted! A total of 1,355, 14-19 year olds received expert tailored answers to their concerns and fears, with many more receiving answers via the Q&A archive section, factsheets and case studies. In total YouthNet produced 155 brand new fact sheets, case studies and “Vox Pops” during the course of the partnership.
Overall the partnership enhanced BskyB’s work by providing them with access to award winning content in a style that was both engaging and interactive, ultimately improving their offering to young people.
Catherine Armstrong, Senior Community Investment Manager at BSkyB, said:
“BSkyB chose to work with YouthNet as we recognised their expertise in providing safe and confidential information, support and advice to young people, delivered in the language, tone and style they understand and relate to, and this was crucial to the success of Sorted! This supported Sky’s wider objective for its community programme, to engage young people in a way that is both inspiring and open.”
