About CHILL

What is the research about?

The project focuses on understanding young people’s experiences of their local neighbourhood, where and how children spend their free time and factors influencing that, how they value and use local spaces, their sense of place belonging, and the significance of local places (families, communities, local environment) in affecting children’s wellbeing, life chances and their developing sense of active citizenship.

 

Research Questions:

  1. What role does place (the physical and social environment, virtual and trans-local factors) play in affecting young people’s well-being and life chances?  

  2. How do young people perceive and use the local environment and its affordances for their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing?

  3. What is the impact of wider macro socio-economic and trans-local factors, including digital technology, on young people’s leisure, social connectivity, sense of place and aspirations; and how have these changed over time?

  4. How do young people perceive and engage with opportunities to be included and contribute to, decisions that affect their lives at local, national, and global levels; and how can place-based social capital be harnessed to enable that?

 

What is the context of the research?

Young people’s lives in the UK today are being significantly influenced by a myriad of factors such as: significant social and economic change, huge social inequalities, impacts of the digital revolution, COVID-19, growing sense of disenfranchisement in many communities, cost of living crisis that is impacting so many families hard, and climate change. Within this context we want to understand how children’s childhoods may be changing and the impacts on children’s lives and life chances.

 

What are we looking to understand?

We want to understand:

  • How social change impacts and shapes young people’s everyday lives growing up in these places, the influences on their experiences and how young people respond to these influences

  • Change and continuity in cultures of childhood and their relationship with and use of local places

  • The influence of place on young people’s lives now and in the future

  • The extent to which young people feel they have the opportunity to develop their own sense of active citizenship in shaping their lives and contributing to community and local developments

Overall, we are seeking to engage young people as research partners in exploring and communicating their experiences and perspectives on their own lives.

 

Our Approach?

We are undertaking the study in three areas:

  • A suburban housing estate in an affluent city in the South of England​

  • A remote, semi-rural coastal town in the East of England

  • A neighbourhood in a post-industrial town in Northern England 

In each study site the project involves working closely with young people and local stakeholders as partners, ensuring the research is embedded in local lives and agendas.

Our approach involves flexibly engaging young people as research partners using participatory approaches. Within an overall study framework young people help decide on specific research tools and questions and engage in joint analysis, sense making and priorities for change.

 

The project involves four phases of work:

 

Phase 1: Understanding young people’s experiences of place

Working with a core group of young people (10-15) from diverse backgrounds using visual and participatory mapping approaches to explore, communicate and make sense of their everyday lives.

Participatory research with young people is supplemented with interviews with key stakeholders and informal observations of young people’s use of their local places.

 

Phase 2: Exploring peer and adult perspectives

Peer research with a wider group of young people using approaches designed by the young co-researchers to capture a diversity of experiences. In this phase young people also conduct interviews with adult residents.

In parallel, focus groups are conducted with parents to understand their perspectives on young people’s lives and their influence.

 

Phase 3: Mobilising local knowledge

Involves young people communicating their research findings to wider community groups to inform intergenerational learning, dialogue and identifying priorities for change. Young people are supported in exploring, and where possible implementing, actions for change.

 

Phase 4: Local and national impact

Strong partnerships have been developed nationally in each area with local stakeholders. Learning from the project has been continually played back to partners to inform dialogue and change.

Overall project learning will be communicated to key national stakeholders in knowledge exchange and policy learning workshops.