Demonstration of how group model building can be used to understand barriers and facilitators to “at-risk” young people’s access to community assets for mental health support: a participatory study

Abstract Background Community assets (e.g. green spaces, youth centres) can support the mental health of young people. However, less is known about barriers and facilitators to access these assets. This manuscript aims to demonstrate how group model building – a participatory research method grounded in systems thinking – can be used to examine the ways in which community assets support the mental health of “at-risk” young people, while identifying the barriers and facilitators that shape access to these assets. Methods Community-based recruitment was undertaken in rural towns and two urban areas in the South of England. Participants included young people, parents/carers and decision-makers/practitioners. Each group took part in two workshops per site, during which systems maps were developed to visually represent the dynamic interrelationships (feedback loops) within the system. In total, nine group-specific systems maps (one per participant group in each site) were produced and synthesized into a single merged systems map to identify shared patterns and key leverage points. Results A total of 32 young people aged 14–16 years (identified as “at-risk” by local services or self-identification), 31 parents/carers and 31 decision-makers/practitioners participated in 20 workshops conducted between May and July 2025. Four key feedback loops were identified: (1) increased investment in prevention and early intervention services enhances access to appropriate activities and improves wellbeing; (2) competition for limited resources can reduce staff capacity to deliver services and impacts on sustainability; (3) access to community assets promotes personal development and emotional support through engagement with trusted adults and structured activities; and (4) experiences of discrimination reduce young people’s sense of belonging, limiting their use of public spaces and negatively impacting their emotional wellbeing. Conclusions Group model building provides a novel and participatory approach to generating shared understanding of how community assets support the mental health of “at-risk” young people. Potential areas for action to address inequalities and improve young people’s mental health nationally include securing resources for prevention and early intervention services, increasing presence of trusted adults in public spaces, enhancing quality of community assets and youth provision offer and improving awareness of existing services.