Youth Voice in the Work of Creative Partnerships

Welcome

Children walking holding bannersThis research project explores youth voice initiatives within Creative Partnerships. Creative Partnerships as an organisation has a track record of addressing the challenges of youth participation at a number of levels, sometimes embedding participation implicitly in approaches to its creative work, and sometimes developing new formal mechanisms and spaces.

To date, however, the stories of the different approaches to youth voice and pupil participation within Creative Partnerships have not been told. There has been no overall discussion, dissemination, evaluation and analysis of what has been achieved, of the strengths and challenges within different approaches, of the impact and benefits they may have, and of directions in which such work may go in the future. This research project responds to this need. In addition we aim to offer critical analytical insights into the broader significance of the new emphasis on participation in contemporary schooling and society.

Whilst broadly endorsing the overall aim of participation, this research project is open-minded about whether specific 'voice' projects are in practice necessarily beneficial. Thus, through the construction of rich, descriptive case studies it aims to identify factors that facilitate successful projects and to exemplify the range of practice within Creative partnerships. It aims to bring together voice and creativity, exploring the connection between participation and creative learning projects, exploring what kind of contribution the former makes to the latter.

Research Team

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