Economic Impact Assessment Report

Havant Borough Council opened the Link Up Youth Hub in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, to provide employment support to borough residents aged 16–24. The Economic Impact Assessment Report was created to communicate the findings of University of Portsmouth researchers, who evaluated the socio-economic impact of the Link Up Youth Hub.

My task was to create the editorial design for this report, which visually communicated what the Link Up Youth Hub is and the benefits of this initiative for young people and the local economy, as well as the effect on crime and health statistics. The aim of the report was primarily for use in securing future funding for the continuation of the Link Up Youth Hub, though it would also be made available to other key stakeholders.

I utilised information design to display key data in a way that was both easy to understand and visually interesting, to highlight the quantitative benefits of the Link Up Youth Hub to potential funders. To show the personal benefit the scheme had on individuals, I photographed young people at the Link Up Youth Hub, as well as at their places of employment which the scheme helped them secure. Ensuring full consent, I used these photos in the report to humanise the findings of the report, and show how funding can benefit real people.

The result was a report which combines quantifiable statistical data and qualitative personal accounts and visuals, communicating the benefits already created by the Link Up Youth Hub, and which creates a compelling argument for the importance of future funding.