As with all material developed by the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication, the Soul Buddyz project is carefully researched and evaluated. The formative research process involves:

1. Meetings with different national stakeholders, including funders, ngo's and government to seek advice on the national priorities for Soul Buddyz to address. Advice includes how to deal with the topics as well as ensuring Soul Buddyz programmes complement existing initiatives
2. Adverts are placed in major newspapers calling for adults and children in the general public to make suggestions.
3. Invitations are sent out to children via the Children's Rights Centre in Durban to make suggestions for topics to be covered.
4. Meetings are held with children to get their ideas on topics to cover. For example through the Tandanani organization in Pietermaritzburg.
5. Topic areas are then selected.
6. Literature reviews conducted on topic areas.
7. Research conducted with children audience members in 5 sites - Orange Farm, Magaliesberg, Attridgeville, Westdene and Parkview
8. Research conducted with parents in Gauteng, Western cape, Mpumalanga and North West.
9. Message design workshops are then held on the topic areas.
10. A message brief is developed and workshopped with the creative team.
11. A storyline is then developed and after testing, is fleshed out into scripts. These scripts are also tested with (Aadielah). Only after this thorough formative research process are the final scripts handed over to the production company for filming.

Each series is independently evaluated. The evaluation of Soul Buddyz 1 indicated that the project reached two out of three children between the ages of 8-13 years and successfully impacted on knowledge, attitudes and practices of those exposed. The project was also positively received by parents and teachers alike. It is clear from the first evaluation that, if sustained, Soul Buddyz has the potential to effect powerful change in a future generation of youth and adults. Full evaluation reports are available on Research and Evaluation page of the Soul City website.