Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT
'Young People in Society: Promoting Youth Citizenship' part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 'Festival of Social Science'
Social science academics and students from the University of Huddersfield hosted a day-long conference for young people in secondary schools and further education colleges in West Yorkshire and Lancashire. The conference, ‘Young People in Society: Promoting Youth Citizenship’, was one of 180 exciting events which took place across the UK between 3-10 November 2012 as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ‘Festival of Social Science’ (http://research.ncl.ac.uk/selg/).
The Festival celebrated the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives - both now and in the future - bringing businesses, charities, government agencies, schools and college students to discuss, discover and debate topical social science issues. A successful bid to fund the event was submitted by Jim McAuley, Surya Munro and Andrew Mycock. The event has been organised by School of Human and Health Science External Affairs Coordinator, Angela Sprawson, and Huddersfield Business School internee, Christopher Nightingale, who attracted over 300 participants from across the region to an event.
The conference allowed social scientists from across the University of Huddersfield to showcase cutting-edge research to build youth citizenship knowledge and skills amongst young people in their local communities. The challenges faced by young people in the UK today are arguably more significant than at any other period in recent history. Young people face the possibility that their life prospects and living standards could be lower than their parents’ generation. About one in five 18-24 year olds are unemployed, with nearly one million also not in education or training. Political and public concerns about youth crime, anti-social behaviour, and political and social disengagement have contributed to negative stereotyping of young people in today’s society.
Pictured on the celebrity panel above are (l-r): Jessica Senior, Kirklees Youth Councillor, Helen Minett, Director of Fusion Housing, Dr Gráinne McMahon, Huddersfield lecturer and Youth Crime specialist with Cllr Mehboob Khan, Leader of Kirklees Council
Creation of opportunities
The event sought to meet the pressing need for capacity building with young people through the creation of opportunities to discuss and develop youth citizenship. The conference is the latest in a series of youth citizenship events and reflects the University’s on-going commitment to sharing knowledge which fosters positive attitudes towards encouraging community and democratic participation and aiding the personal development of young people.
Dr Andrew Mycock (pictured
) noted ‘this was an exciting and innovative event and the organising team are grateful for the support of the Economic and Social Research Council to provide a unique opportunity to bring social science academics and young people together’.
The event was opened by Pro-Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, Professor Tim Thornton, and Dean of the School of Human and Health Sciences, Professor John Playle, who welcomed participants to the University, noted ‘I am delighted that we hosted this event as a key part of our strategy and commitment to engaging young people as partners in our theme of Citizenship. It provided an excellent opportunity to showcase aspects of our work and envision young people to use their skills and talents to make a real difference to their local communities’.
Young people contributed enthusiastically to a series of workshops which were developed to showcase current social science research. Young people from the region interacted, debated and exchanged knowledge with staff and students from the University. Workshops were led by social science researchers from across the University of Huddersfield, drawn from Psychology, Criminology, Social Work, Sociology, Politics, Health and Education. The themes include:
- Supporting people with Learning Disabilities (Stacey Atkinson)
- What’s it like to be Gay? (Jean Hatton and Surya Monro)
- It’s OK. The Police know all about them’ (Gráinne McMahon)
- The Olympic Games – How can we understand them using Sociology? (Jamie Halsall, Berenice Golding, and Vicky Byrne)
- Is Britain a racially-divided Country? Is it a racist country? (Pete Sanderson and Paul Thomas)
- All in it together? Young People, Citizenship and Democracy (Andrew Mycock)
- Parents in Prison (Kathyrn Sharrat)
- Researching the lives NEET young people - lessons for policy and practice (Robin Simmons and Lisa Russell)
- Chris Low from the University Social Enterprise also hosted workshops entitled ‘Change your world: become a social entrepreneur’ where inspiring stories about young people will be discussed. Participants to this workshop had the opportunity to secure up to £5,000 to improve their communities.
Catherine McGlynn and Roy Fisher ensured that teachers and other adults accompanying young participants are not left out, and hosted sessions focusing on how to teach controversial issues and ‘teachers on film’. In a youth citizenship roundtable panel offered, young people asked a series of incisive questions concerning issues raised during the event. It was chaired by Andrew Mycock and the panel put on the ‘hot spot’ were Cllr. Mehboob Khan, (Leader of Kirklees Council), Helen Minett (Director of Fusion Housing), Jess Senior (Kirklees Youth Councillor), Nosheen Dad (Huddersfield Students’ Union VP Wellbeing and Equalities) and Youth Crime specialist Dr Gráinne McMahon.
Key actors and institutions across the region including Kirklees Council, Kirklees Youth Council and Volunteering Kirklees supported the event and provided information about opportunities for youth citizenship. Information was also provided from the University of Huddersfield’s Students’ Union and award-winning Careers Service for young people about future education and career development.
Building inter-school and community networks
This event further underlined the commitment of the University of Huddersfield to encourage young people to engage with key social science issues whilst also building inter-school and community networks. It contributed to citizenship education programmes in the schools and colleges involved whilst also raising awareness of the importance of social science research. One attending staff member from a regional high school said ‘number of our young people came away from their sessions ‘buzzing’ with ideas’. Another attending staff member reported ‘our students really enjoyed the day and thought it a valuable learning exercise, needless to say they want more of the same again’. The event was also popular with young people whose input and insights highlighted the extent to which social science influences issues affecting them. One commented ‘I thought it was a very interesting event it helped me understand different aspects of social science’ whilst another noted ‘the facilities were very good and to a high standard, I enjoyed the opportunity to attend and the brief look into the topics we are very interested in’. One young person summed up the experience for many by simply stating it was a ‘brilliant event – I would come again!’.
For details on future events, please contact Mrs Angela Sprawson (Email: a.c.sprawson@hud.ac.uk, Tel: 01484 471158) or view the event website www.hud.ac.uk/youngpeopleinsociety.
