Participatory Action Research 2026: What We Learned Together
At Breadwinners, we believe the best way to improve our programmes is by listening to the people who experience them. We do this through our Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, created and led by young people and supported by volunteer mentors. Over two months, a team of 19 young people – Breadwinners programme participants and graduates – and 4 volunteer mentors worked together on the project. They designed the survey, developed the questions, reached out to the Breadwinners community, gathered feedback, and discussed the results. Along the way, they built valuable skills in public speaking, communication, AI and tech, and research, helping them grow in confidence.
As our community is growing, our young researchers keep reaching more people every year – this time they contacted over 1,000 people, combining messages and phone calls to gather responses.
In total, we received over 80 survey responses, with strong participation from both young people (40 responses) and volunteer mentors (42 responses).
[Read the detailed PAR insights here]
Working with Earlybird
Our partnership with Earlybird, now in its third year, makes this kind of research possible at scale. Their AI platform is built for accessible, conversational engagement, and it lends itself naturally to participatory research like the PAR.
Participants spoke or typed their responses directly into the Earlybird platform, which guides people through a flowing conversation. They could pause and come back later, switch language, or answer by voice if that suited them better.
The platform helped us:
- Engage a wider community than previous PARs, reaching more than 1,000 people across the UK.
- Surface richer, more honest responses, because the platform follows up in real time on anything vague or interesting.
- Make the survey accessible to more people by letting them respond in voice or text, in their preferred language.
Most importantly, the platform puts young people in the driving seat. They co-designed the questions, tested it on the platform, gave honest feedback on how it worked, and built real technical confidence along the way. By the end, they had genuinely led the research themselves.
Earlybird is the AI operating system for citizen services, powering publicly funded services across the UK so that the people who need them most can access the support they are entitled to, through technology that is accessible, engaging and easy to use.
What we learned
1. Breadwinners helps young people move forward
The data shows that over 90% of the young people are now engaged in work, education, volunteering, or a mix of these after completing the programme.
Almost 70% of them are studying, working, or both – showing that Breadwinners plays an important role in helping young people take their next steps in the UK.
2. Job-focused support makes the biggest difference
Across the responses, one thing came through very clearly: practical job support matters most.
Training on CV writing, job applications, and interviews was the most useful part of the programme for many participants (22 responses) as they navigate their career paths after finishing Breadwinners.
Communication skills also stood out as a key strength among both young people and volunteer mentors (45 responses). This helps young people feel more confident, express themselves clearly, and succeed in interviews and at work.
3. Young people still need support after the programme
While the programme has a strong impact, many young people said the most challenging part comes after it ends. Young people shared that their main difficulties were:
Finding a job (8 responses),
Managing education (including language barriers and access to tools like laptops – 9 responses).
Many (both mentors and alumni) said young people would benefit from:
More career and education guidance (13 and 12 responses respectively) – helping young people understand what pathways are available for them and how to find opportunities that suit their long-term career goals,
Continued check-ins and follow-up support,
More help applying for jobs in real life.
4. Community and connections matter
One of the strongest messages from the research is that Breadwinners is not just about programmes - it’s also about a supportive community. Young respondents would like to stay a part of that community even after they graduate. Many people suggested:
Having mentors to guide and support them (16 responses),
Sharing opportunities and leveraging Breadwinners’ network to open doors to jobs and new experiences (15 responses),
Staying connected after the programme and learning from peers (12 responses).
5. AI is already part of young people’s lives, but they want to learn more
Many participants are already using AI in their daily lives, especially for studying and learning (17 responses) as most of the young people go into education after Breadwinners. Some also use AI for job applications and finding information. The majority of volunteer mentors shared that they use AI for work and daily life (12 and 10 mentions respectively).
At the same time, there is strong interest in learning how to use AI better. The most requested training areas were using AI for job applications (CVs, cover letters, interviews – 27 times mentioned by both graduates and mentors) and understanding AI basics (25 responses across both groups).
Breadwinners listened to the feedback, and this year we will be looking at how we can add AI training to our programmes and help young people use AI in practical ways, from writing CVs to preparing for interviews.
What happens next
This research is not just about understanding where Breadwinners can improve - it’s about acting on it. Based on these insights, we are already thinking about how to:
Include corporate partnerships into our programmes and turn them into post-programme opportunities;
Strengthen career and job application support by adding more training to the existing programmes or providing structured follow-ups after graduating from the Breadwinners programmes;
Help young people better understand career and education pathways available to them in the UK;
Introduce AI training for young people.
Final thoughts
This year’s PAR project once again showed the value of bringing young people into the process and learning directly from their experiences. When young people are given the space to brainstorm, share, and lead – they don’t just carry out a survey. They help us shape the future of our work.
And with partners like Earlybird, we can make sure even more voices are heard.
