United Kingdom

The UK case is based in Preston, in North West England. There is little research from young people's own perspectives on their sense of belonging to their location or what enables and gets in the way of this. Also, rarely have young peoples’ perspectives and ideas for solutions been considered in UK policy and practice. The Preston case will explore young people’s views and ideas about what it means to belong in their communities, and what enables and gets in the way of belonging. Arts-based and participatory methods will enable young people aged 14-19 to engage with each other in exploring the place, connections, relationships, and social action as part of a co-creative approach to citizen social science. An ambition is to have a long-lasting impact through creating an intergenerational co-operative, where young people form the majority membership and local decision-makers agree to consider young people’s research as expert opinion in matters affecting their lives.