Date: 08.11.2012
Project Oracle, one of the six workstreams from Time for Action (November 2008), aims to ‘understand and share what really works’ in youth programmes in London. The project consist of an evidence competition, placement of students in projects, placement of projects staff with academia, stakeholder engagement across London, training activity, communications and PR, and the synthesis of evidence.
The work is led by London Metropolitan university, with collaborators TSIP, New Philanthropy Capital, Community Links, Enternships and the Jill Dando Institute. The partners together, are building an innovative space in which to interact and learn from each other, to improve youth outcomes. The project began its work in August this year and ends in March 2013. The Project Director for LondonMet is Georgie Parry-Crooke, from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and the current programme of work is valued at £375,000 in 2012/13. The Faculty has an international reputation for its portfolio of research in Criminology and Policing.
The GLA recognises the need for working across a partnership of policy makers, public sector managers, funders, service providers and academics. To achieve its aims, Oracle uses an on-line, refereed resource to share examples of effective practice from youth projects across the capital. It will provide a common frame of reference for academics, commissioners and providers, because today in the absence of any standards, too many project interventions for children and families are being used in ignorance. Better information on how to achieve quality interventions, communicated well, will mean that resources are more confidently directed toward more effective projects. Widespread use of the Oracle standards across London should eventually bring greater consistency to judgments about how to reduce youth violence.
Project Oracle now have a youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ProjectOracle1
