Local community network secures £1m to make Staffordshire a better place for young people to live and thrive
Local community network Know Your Place has secured just under £1m funding to empower young people aged 13 to 19 to undertake evidence-based community research, helping to influence and change local policy and decision-making.
The money has been awarded through phase two (the implementation phase) of the Community Research Networks programme, which 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.
The Know Your Place Network includes a young people's steering group, Staffordshire County Council, the University of Staffordshire and Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services, which has a membership of 200 organisations working with children, young people and families in the region. In phase one of the programme (the expression of interest phase), the group received £25k and used the money 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, 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, said: “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.”
UKRI Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: “I am delighted to see the launch the second phase of UKRI’s Community Research Networks programme, in partnership with The Young Foundation.
“At UKRI we strongly believe that R&I should be by everyone, for everyone, everywhere. This programme offers a step-change in the way UKRI funds R&I to reflect this priority. We are putting money into the hands of communities to tackle the issues that matter most to them.
“I am excited to see how these nine networks will enhance connectivity within and between the UK’s regions, contributing to an R&I system that benefits from diverse expertise and understanding.”
The aim of the Community Research Networks programme is to put communities at the heart of research, awarding grants to organisations that are interested in supporting local people across the UK, and working with them to better understand their valuable role in research and innovation. The programme has awarded a total of £8.9m** to community networks across the country in this second phase, with an additional £625k awarded in the first phase.
Know Your Place is one of nine community research projects across the UK that has received funding as part of the second phase of this project. Visit youngfoundation.org/community-research-networks to find out more.
