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Using creative collaboration to address youth loneliness

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Using creative collaboration to address youth loneliness

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Through creative youth-led inquiries, creative encounters, and a community-driven closed loop economy, researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University are harnessing the power of youth in their research on youth loneliness.

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We are developing new approaches for researching youth loneliness with young people, drawing on co-produced, creative and arts-based methods.

We developed new approaches for researching youth loneliness with young people, as part of the first large-scale participatory research project on youth loneliness.

We are co-producing creative encounters to explore how the COVID-19 Lockdown is affecting young people's mental health, levels of social isolation and loneliness.

A multi-media youth-led inquiry into understanding how young people's voices can be lost when adults talk of crisis and crises, and what we might do differently.

Exploring social and material infrastructures to enable anyone and everyone to say 'hello' in their neighbourhood

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We are developing new approaches for researching youth loneliness with young people, drawing on co-produced, creative and arts-based methods. We developed new approaches for researching youth loneliness with young people, as part of the first large-scale participatory research project on youth loneliness.

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How We Save the World: Addressing climate change through game and theatre

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How We Save the World: Addressing climate change through game and theatre

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NERC funded Coney, a collective of makers who create interactive theatre, to develop a performance and three games on the theme of climate change.

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Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council in partnership with the Natural History Museum, How We Save The World is presented as part of the Museum's Lates event on 30th November.
Photo by Thomas Scott on Unsplash
How We Save The World - Performance
Location: Flett Auditorium

What if you had the power to save the world? Join us on a compelling adventure to visit various moments in our past and make decisions about how to save the world from the effects of climate change. Created in collaboration with NERC-funded scientists and the Museum.

Three performances will take place through the evening at 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Places are limited, so make sure you book to be sure of getting a space.

Alongside the performances, Coney have created three pop-up games which you can play around the museum from 6pm - 9.30pm:

The Stake
Location: Wonder Bay, Hinze Hall
Take a journey away from the hustle and in the presence of Luke Jerram's Earth sculpture. This contemplative game is about what's at stake for our precious world, now and in the future. Made by Coney, this is a five-minute experience designed for one - just turn up with your smartphone.

Let's Talk About Climate Change
Location: Café/bar behind the Hinze Hall
Ever killed the mood of a party by broaching the topic of climate change? Overwhelmed by the carbon footprint of your shopping trolley? Flights to family events, weddings and holidays? Coney invite you and your friends to play Let's Talk About Climate Change. Grab a drink and bring your best tactics.

The Fives
Location:Café/bar West
In teams, compete against each other to make the best decision for you, your family, your community and your world. You are invited by Coney to play an entertaining decision-making game, with chocolates to be won...

#HowWeSaveTheWorld

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Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council in partnership with the Natural History Museum, How We Save The World is presented as part of the Museum's Lates event on 30th November. Photo by Thomas Scott on Unsplash How We Save The World - Performance Location: Flett Auditorium What if you had the power to save the world?

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'Earth’ or ‘Gaia’ is a touring artwork that brings our planet, as seen from space, right to our fingertips. The sculpture inspires conversations about the earth, the environment and environmental science.

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This programme explored agricultural futures through home packs that were mailed to attendees, supported by digital workshops that brought these people and concepts together.

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This is a collective of women (started in Norwich) who make blue plaques to remember amazing women. One went up in my neighbourhood about a carefree lepidoptorist and it made me smile for weeks when I went past it!

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WE MAKE ALTERNATIVE BLUE PLAQUES FOR WOMEN!

Rosie's Plaques is a guerrilla art project staged by women of The Common Lot. There are more than 4500 heritage plaques in the UK. Less than 12% of them celebrate the lives, achievements and spaces of non-mythical women. It's a bloody outrage!

The project began in Norwich in May 2019 with eight plaques and has since become a national movement.

You can find out more about our story here.

Visit our Plaque Map where you will be able to see all the Rosie's Plaques.

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Rosie's Plaques is a guerrilla art project staged by women of The Common Lot. There are more than 4500 heritage plaques in the UK. Less than 12% of them celebrate the lives, achievements and spaces of non-mythical women. It's a bloody outrage!

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https://www.vindolanda.com/listing/category/digging-up-memories

When the Vindolanda Museum was closed during COVID-19 restrictions, an online exhibit was developed to showcase the favourite wooden objects. This involved video, audio, 3D digital and printed models, and other information sources.

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1. Events

2. Digging up memories

Have you ever searched for an object only to find something else that jogged your memory of a past event? Exploring Vindolanda's wooden collection causes a similar reaction. It evokes memories of past events and offers a link to our heritage. Find out which memories our team dug up, and what links were made to our ancestors.

Let us know what you think about our Digging up Memories exhibition. After you've explored the online galleries below give us you feedback here.

Latest

15th April
Roman Vindolanda
Drop-in session for families to get involved in the 1900 Bunting Challenge. Have a go at stitching your own design onto a bunting flag and learn about the sorts of textiles we find at Vindolanda and why its so amazing we find any at all!

25th &26th June
Roman Vindolanda
OUTDOOR THEATRE. On The Move Theatre presents Gone to the Wall at Roman Vindolanda. An entertaining play set in AD122 about Hadrian's mammoth undertaking to build his Wall. Romans, Celts, music and laughs throughout.

17 & 19th March
Roman Vindolanda
Two public engagement days for Arch-I-Scan. It is a chance for visitors to learn about what the research project is and how the Vindolanda collection is contributing to cutting edge research.

Most read

A beautifully carved sandstone relief which depicts a naked male figure holding a spear stood in front of a horse/donkey has been uncovered during the annual excavations at the Roman fort of Vindolanda near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. Read more

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Have you ever searched for an object only to find something else that jogged your memory of a past event? Exploring Vindolanda’s wooden collection causes a similar reaction. It evokes memories of past events and offers a link to our heritage. Find out which memories our team dug up, and what links were made to our ancestors.

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Academic Advisors on Blue Planet II Featuring their research

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Academic Advisors on Blue Planet II Featuring their research

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Researchers at Southampton had their research featured on Blue Planet II and also were advisors on the programme. A really good way to get their research out there! Also have pop sci books on their work too.

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Southampton University and Blue Planet 2 | University of Southampton

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Find out how Southampton University academics advised the BBC on Blue Planet II and explore more about the oceans in our free online course.

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https://guerillaarchaeology.com/consuming-prehistory-feeding-stonehenge/
Food is central to all our lives, forming the structure of our days and lying at the heart of many social events. At the same time, food is the focus of many health concerns, with advice on the quality, quantity, type and source of food never far from the front page or the screen. This project taps into this public appetite for all things edible by providing a prehistoric perspective on how foods were treated (acquired, prepared and consumed) in Neolithic Britain.

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Changing attitudes to food. Opening access to the past.

Archaeologists from Cardiff University, the University of York and English Heritage collaborate to explore the food consumed by the masses who constructed the world heritage site, Stonehenge. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Consuming Prehistory gives people a taste of the past. The project brings to life recent findings about our ancestors' food preparation and consumption, which have been unearthed in the Feeding Stonehenge Project.

Food is central to all our lives, forming the structure of our days and lying at the heart of many social events. At the same time, food is the focus of many health concerns, with advice on the quality, quantity, type and source of food never far from the front page or the screen. This project taps into this public appetite for all things edible by providing a prehistoric perspective on how foods were treated (acquired, prepared and consumed) in Neolithic Britain.

Consuming Prehistory complemented the FEAST! exhibition at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, revealing:

What did our Neolithic ancestors actually eat, and how did they prepare and cook?

Just how far did people travel to build or to gather at Stonehenge?

How did they manage to source food for such large numbers of people?

The project created a series of interactive tailored to accompany this exhibition, at the Stonehenge site and far beyond. These events explored in detail food and feasting at the time of Stonehenge, but then situated this famous site this within its wider context. Led by us here at Guerilla Archaeology, the activities were tailored to each setting and were taken on tour around Britain. The events included working with community groups local to Stonehenge, delivering a "Big Feast Weekend" at Stonehenge itself, and touring large music, arts, and science festivals such as Green Man Festival and New Scientist Live. This took prehistoric food and archaeology to new and non-traditional audiences in 2018 and 2019, with the popularity of the activities resulting in them being repeated at some festivals multiple years in a row. We have also continued to explore activities in virtual forms in 2020, including sharing our educational resources.

Follow our pages and blog posts here to learn more about our activities and findings. We hope you have an appetite for the past!

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Changing attitudes to food. Opening access to the past. Archaeologists from Cardiff University, the University of York and English Heritage collaborate to explore the food consumed by the masses who constructed the world heritage site, Stonehenge. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Consuming Prehistory gives people a taste of the past.

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Great project using Minecraft to engage children with science. Particular focus engaging neurodiverse kids and those with SEN.

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Science Hunters engages children of all ages with science using the popular computer game Minecraft. They learn about scientific concepts and research before building their own related creations in the game.
***COVID-19***
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not currently undertaking face-to-face work. We have two projects running at Lancaster University and others based at the University of the West of England, which are currently engaging children virtually. For more information please see the details below and contact us at sciencehunters@lancaster.ac.uk or ExtendingSTEM@uwe.ac.uk.

Online content is available on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Linnean Society outreach

Science Hunters is currently working with the Linnean Society, the world's oldest active biological society, to develop sessions and training to facilitate setup and delivery of Minecraft Clubs in schools. Sessions will be based around natural history content, linking to Linnean Society Learning and encouraging exploration of nature, understanding of the natural world and learning about life on Earth. For more information, please email sciencehunters@lancaster.ac.uk.

NERC outreach

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, Science Hunters are currently developing full online sessions for schools, which will include support in terms of technical set up, providing hands on resources and delivering interactive sessions online. This will provide high quality remote sessions that inspire students and give them the experience of engaging with science and scientists. For more information please email sciencehunters@lancaster.ac.uk.

The Amazon Rainforest in Minecraft

Funded as part of the Economic and Social Research Council Festival of Social Sciences, this project explored the Amazon rainforest, and how people interact with it, in Minecraft. A bespoke rainforest world was used in schools, in public libraries in England and at Science Hunters Minecraft Clubs for children with Special Educational Needs and Looked After Children. An online video version of the session is available on YouTube.

Building our Understanding of Diabetes with Minecraft (BUD-M)

Based at UWE Bristol and initially funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Building our Understanding of Diabetes with Minecraft uses a virtual model of the human body to support children to explore how diabetes works, from a whole body down to molecular scale. Sessions for children who may face barriers to accessing educational opportunities were delivered around the UK prior to COVID-19 restrictions; online resources are now available for anyone to use and include videos about diabetes, a tour of the Minecraft human body and insights into how it was made. For more information please email ExtendingSTEM@uwe.ac.uk.

Building to Break Barriers

Building to Break Barriers engages children with engineering through Minecraft and inspirational role models. With children and engineers, the project designs and develops specific engineering-based outreach sessions and free online resources, for delivery around the UK. The project particularly focuses on engaging under-represented groups in engineering, including children with special educational needs and disabilities, children from deprived areas, women and girls. The project is based at UWE Bristol and funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering. For more information or to get involved please email ExtendingSTEM@uwe.ac.uk.

More about Science Hunters

History of Science Hunters 2015-2020
Science Hunters began as a small Widening Participation outreach project engaging children with environmental science research. Over five years, it grew to be one of the largest such projects in the UK, reaching more than 18,000 children in schools, at public events and through our Minecraft Clubs and expanding to operate through the Science Communication Unit at UWE Bristol and collaborate with the Universities of Aberdeen, Newcastle, Hull and Loughborough as well as many other external partner organisations. More information about our project design, approach, practice and research can be found in the articles below.
Journal publications Media

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Science Hunters engages children of all ages with science using the popular computer game Minecraft. They learn about scientific concepts and research before building their own related creations in the game. ***COVID-19*** Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not currently undertaking face-to-face work.

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Two-day exhibition showcasing the incredible journeys of our migratory animals, the challenges they face and the things we can all do to help. The event brought together 12 local artists, 15 conservation volunteers from 4 local conservation organisations, 214 school children across 7 schools, 6 researchers from University of Reading and a community interest company. The exhibition was funded by a BES Regional Fund grant and received 536 visitors. 20 of these visitors signed up to volunteer with the local toad patrol as a result, contributing 152 hours of volunteer time over the following 3 months and directly contributing to that patrol rescuing 1443 migrating amphibians from rush hour traffic during the 2020 spring migration.

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Future of our Seas is a NERC funded public engagement initiative brining together early career researchers, scientists and creatives to learn from each other and develop engaging activities to inspire the public about the marine environment.

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Visitors to the UKCEH stand at Cereals 2018 could take a tour through potential future farmed landscapes using immersive virtual reality, to help understand what the ASSIST sustainable agriculture project can deliver.

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Visitors to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology stand at this month's industry-leading Cereals Event took a tour through future farmed landscapes using immersive virtual reality, as well as being given the chance to learn what the ASSIST sustainable agriculture project can deliver.

We're up and running at #Cereals18! Visit stand 246 for a tour through future farmed landscapes using immersive virtual reality and play out scenarios about land use and agricultural intensification using #ASSISTagri tools & data #farming #environment #innovation #landuse pic.twitter.com/pqHVtD7isv

- CEH Science News (@CEHScienceNews) June 13, 2018

The long-term ASSIST research programme, led by CEH in collaboration with Rothamsted Research and British Geological Survey, is combining spatial and agriculutural ecology in innovative ways.

Our version of Minecraft, CEH Craft, using CEH Land Cover® Map and CEH Crop Map data, was a definite hit. It represents the farmed landscape as it is now and how it might change in the future - including the habitats, crops, animals and buildings in VR. One of its creators Dr Tom August was on hand to guide users.

Attending #Cereals18 next week? Join CEH scientists for a tour through future farmed landscapes using immersive virtual reality! Visit #ASSISTagri on Stand 246 #farming #Sustainability #environment #foodsecurity #innovation #VR https://t.co/QcRn2jcamw pic.twitter.com/s96l89CgCg

- CEH Science News (@CEHScienceNews) June 6, 2018

Also on show was the ASSIST Scenario Exploration Tool which allows users to explore the impacts of potential changes in the way we farm the British landscape. Main developer John Redhead showed visitors what the tool can deliver.

Visit #Cereals18 stand 246 next week to see the #ASSISTagri Scenario Exploration Tool in use - explore the impacts of changes in the way we use the UK countryside for #farming. See more with the guided tour https://t.co/AKCS6hmlZo or explore the tool https://t.co/vnvLHOykpe pic.twitter.com/bkkRqc6zoE

- CEH Science News (@CEHScienceNews) June 8, 2018

Had fun today showcasing CEH mapping products using #VR and the ASSET tool ( https://t.co/jAIIWsseEz) https://t.co/3othhdQQI8

- John Redhead (@RedheadGIS) June 21, 2018

There was also an opportunity to see the Data Combine benchmarking tool from ASSIST partners Agrimetrics.

See how benchmarking tool Data Combine is being used by farmers in ASSIST project @CEHScienceNews @Rothamsted @BritGeoSurvey which is quantifying impact of different enviro & agronomic factors on yield to highlight best interventions @Cereals stand 246 https://t.co/XcHngCF6hp

- Agrimetrics (@Agrimetrics) June 12, 2018

Professor Richard Pywell, CEH's Head of Biodiversity science, was among the team at our Cereals stand. He said, "Farmers play a vital role in shaping and managing our countryside.

"The Minecraft tool is one of many ways we are working with farmers to design and visualise new commercial farming systems that are sustainable and resilient to future shocks."

See more from the event via our Cereals 2018 Twitter Moment.

Videos
Watch a longer video introducing the ASSIST programme View a walkthrough of the ASSIST Scenario Exploration Tool
Related links
ASSIST (Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems) CEH Land Cover® Map

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ASSIST science and Minecraft brought to Cereals 2018

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This was a small-ish project I led a few years back. Parks can play an important role in supporting wellbeing and connection for refugees and asylum seekers. This project investigates how, and provides case studies and actions that can improve access to and enjoyment of parks. Our project methods are founded on three principles: careful listening, learning from different contexts, and giving back so as to support change.
As well as producing downloadable resources, we hosted meals which bought together people working in the refugee support sector and Greenspace sector, and provided 'talking point' card sets about parks to be used in Conversation Clubs.

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About our project Parks can play an important role in supporting wellbeing and connection for refugees and asylum seekers. This project investigates how, and provides case studies and actions that...