Co-design and community spaces: guidance and final report

NPC conducted a qualitative evaluation of the Building Community Fund projects to better understand the role of co-design and community spaces in reducing loneliness for young people.

By evaluating how co-design was used by Building Connections Fund grantees, NPC were able to identify the common factors which the most impactful charities have.

From the report, NCP have published practical guidance on planning and evaluating co-design for community spaces.

It includes an introduction to co-design and why it matters, top tips and tools for creating and monitoring a co-design process, and advice on how to evaluate it.

It includes three main sections:

1. A brief introduction to co-design and why it matters
2. Top tips and tools for creating and monitoring a co-design process
3. Advice on how to evaluate co-design by reflecting on: the benefits of co-design for staff and young people; the quality of the co-design process; and insights into addressing loneliness and social isolation.

This guidance was developed for the Building Connections Fund grant-holders who are working specifically on co-design and community spaces, but can be used by any organisation looking to design or improve its co-design process.

It builds on the Guidance on Evaluation for Building Connections Fund Grant-holders, which offers practical guidance for understanding evaluation and evaluating your activities.