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The Children and Young People’s Unit (CYPU) Ministerial Listening Tour took place in the UK during June and July 2003. The tour is part of a government process of interacting with young people to gain a better understanding of their concerns and the issues that affect them. The tour took government ministers to nine regions of the UK to meet with and listen to young people. This report presents the outcomes of an independent evaluation of the tour undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research in May 2003. The evaluation aimed to explore with young people, ministers and government representatives: (1) their expectations and aspirations for the tour; (2) their experiences of taking part; (3) whether young people felt able to express their views to ministers; (4) whether young people felt that their opinions were taken seriously by government; (5) to what degree young people’s understanding and faith in the political process was increased by their involvement; and (6) how consultation with young people could be improved and taken forward. The evaluation revealed that the tour provided a valuable opportunity for young people to meet personally with government representatives and that it was positively received in a number of ways. However, the findings suggested that the objectives and results of the tour were not as clearly defined as they could have been in terms of adequate preparation of young people for the tour, and young people’s satisfaction with their chance to express themselves, and their perceptions of ministers and of the government’s interest in their concerns. The evidence pointed to areas where lessons could be learnt. These lessons were associated with creating effective opportunities for young people to engage with ministers and government representatives, better pre-event preparation for both young people and ministers and the design and organisation of the events, and the provision of feedback to young people about the events and any outcomes. Show less