A community network in Staffordshire has secured £1 million to carry out evidence-based research to help make the county a better place for young people to live.
The Know Your Place network – which includes a young people’s steering group, Staffordshire County Council, the University of Staffordshire and Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services – is one of nine projects across the UK that has received funding as part of the second phase of Community Research Networks programme.
The scheme has been funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and will be delivered by The Young Foundation, a non-profit organisation that specialises in community research and social innovation.
Know Your Place received an additional £25,000 in the first phase of the project, which was used to test a research focus. Initially the research prioritised climate anxiety, but feedback from local young people cited other issues as greater concerns for them, such as the cost of living, which then changed the direction of the research. Phase one also saw young people test a new community research tool, and the recruitment of a steering group.
Phil Pusey MBE, Chief Executive at Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services, which has a membership of 200 organisations working with children, young people and families in the region, said: “The Know Your Place network is delighted to have been successful with our youth-focused project application.
“We look forward to bringing a youthful perspective to the programme, to learn as much as we can from other areas and to enable young people and their wellbeing to be at the very heart of local policy and decision-making over the next five years.”
Helen Goulden OBE, CEO at The Young Foundation, added: “We know that local communities and citizens understand local needs best, and are fundamental to tackling complex societal issues, which is why the Community Research Networks programme is so important.
“The insights gained from the Know Your Place network and other local research networks will be vital if we are to work together to tackle some of the persistent and entrenched challenges we face. And at a national level, we hope to be actively contributing to a new and evolving infrastructure to support community research across the UK. This is core to The Young Foundation’s strategy, and as delivery partner we are proud to be working alongside UKRI to support this work over the next five years – and beyond.”
