Paper short abstract:

The Story Project focuses on the lives of eight Zambians - all of whom are in their mid twenties to early thirties - to look back with them at the period of their lives when they were considered to be a youth and provide space for them to tell their story using a combination of methods and approaches.

Paper long abstract:

This is a study of the stories of eight Zambians - all in their mid twenties to early thirties - reflecting back on their experiences as a young person. The research represents an engaging platform to learn about the lives of young people and it also provides the opportunity to learn more about doing research with young people and designing research that appeals to them. The study was in-depth and centred around story telling and participatory methods such as timelines, network and livelihood mapping and self-directed photography. Underpinning the implementation of the research was technology and social media. The aim was to provide a foundation for people to tell the stories of their youth; the key events and things in their lives, how their livelihoods and careers developed, who the key people are, the decisions they have made and what change they want to see in their community and their role in that. The research will be disseminated to organisations working in the youth sector - both internationally and in Zambia. Strategies for knowledge dissemination were part of the thinking and planning for this research from the start to try and ensure uptake of the lessons learnt from doing the research as well as the outcomes of the research.