{"id":1076,"date":"2025-12-17T01:03:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T01:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/?p=1076"},"modified":"2026-01-19T14:23:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:23:39","slug":"when-was-the-last-time-you-had-fun-genuine-tangible-belly-laughing-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/2025\/12\/17\/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-fun-genuine-tangible-belly-laughing-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"When was the last time you had fun? genuine, tangible, belly-laughing fun?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an increasingly serious world, fun often feels like a guilty pleasure. But what if it\u2019s actually essential? And why are people often afraid to talk about it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The essential nature of fun is something that OU RUMPUS researchers<\/a> and Fullscope<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>charities have known for some time. Yet we\u2019ve both found that funders can be reluctant to support \u2018fun\u2019 work and research. So, we joined forces, via the FUNdamentals knowledge exchange project<\/a>, to find out why.<\/p>\n

Our research with charities and funders\u00a0revealed that although fun is considered essential to supporting children and young people (particularly those experiencing challenging circumstances), there\u2019s\u00a0reluctance to openly discuss fun\u2019s benefits professionally. Why is this? Should we be doing something about it? Are our young people suffering from a fun deficit? \u00a0Read and share our fun executive summary of The FUNdamentals<\/a><\/strong> to find out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0What do you think? Is fun something you can live without? Do you agree with our \u2018FUNdamental\u2019 values?<\/p>\n

We view fun as a human need, not a luxury. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Fun is integral to supporting children\/young people. It is key to building relationships and trust, unlocking potential, enabling constructive risk-taking and learning. This is particularly true for those in challenging circumstances. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Without fun children\/young people wouldn\u2019t engage in activities. Therefore, we include fun \/ enjoyment in the work we do \/ fund, not just for children\/young people but also the adults supporting them. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in talking about the issues raised in the report let us know<\/a>. And, if you\u2019re interested in how we went about the research read our methods and reflections section below.<\/p>\n

Methods: (the geeky bit about what we did and how we did it).<\/h2>\n

The Research Interviews<\/h3>\n

Semi-structured interviews\u00a0(SSIs)\u00a0were conducted in person, and online with between one and three representatives of each participating organisation. Interview questions were\u00a0the\u00a0same with slight tweaks made to reflect charity \/ funder status. Each interview started by asking what \u2018fun\u2019 meant to the participant\/s personally. This elicited some interesting responses and contributed to revealing that there appears to be a gap between the actual value of fun and how it\u2019s valued within our society.<\/p>\n

Recruitment of charity participants<\/h3>\n

Charities\u00a0working with children and young people\u00a0(CYP) were approached in the East of England and London using a snowball sampling method and included\u00a0charities in the Fullscope Consortium, our research partners. We sought to\u00a0represent a\u00a0typical\u00a0cross section of\u00a0small,\u00a0medium\u00a0and larger\u00a0charities.\u00a0However, some interested smaller\u00a0charities just didn\u2019t have capacity. Sadly, capacity issues within hard-pressed charities are not unusual and something to be explored (in partnership) to ensure\u00a0smaller charity\u00a0voices are represented in research.<\/p>\n

Something we didn\u2019t anticipate was one interested small charity (focused on trauma support) that decided that (even though confidentiality was assured), it was too risky to participate in case their interest in fun was\u00a0construed\u00a0negatively by funders.\u00a0This in itself was a finding: it was fascinating to hear that \u2018fun\u2019 is such a \u2018taboo\u2019 in the sector that you can be dammed by association. Ultimately, we spoke with two\u00a0small,\u00a0three\u00a0medium,\u00a0and\u00a0four\u00a0large charities.<\/p>\n

Recruitment of funder participants<\/h3>\n

We reached out to a cross-section of funders representative of the CYP grant making sector. We also sought representation of different attitudes;\u00a0identifying\u00a0funders who may be considered early adopters, reluctant or neutral to the concept of fun in grantmaking.\u00a0It was harder to secure interviews with funders than charities; many didn\u2019t\u00a0respond at all, some cited a lack of time, and some a lack of relevance to their priorities. Ultimately, we spoke with seven funders who support CYP work\u00a0nationally,\u00a0in London,\u00a0or\/and\u00a0the East of England. All would\u00a0probably be\u00a0considered early adopters, or neutral to the concept of fun in grantmaking.<\/p>\n

Children and Young People (CYP) Voice<\/h3>\n

We hoped that a small group of \u2018young advisors\u2019 from Fullscope\u2019s\u00a0Our Voices\u00a0network, would\u00a0offer\u00a0their insights to ensure CYP voice\u00a0was\u00a0kept\u00a0central.\u00a0When initially discussing this Fullscope\u2019s youth lead made an interesting\u00a0point: No-one\u00a0had ever consulted them on\u00a0something like\u00a0\u2018fun\u2019\u00a0before<\/strong>. CYP\u00a0voice\u00a0groups\u00a0are usually\u00a0asked about trauma, racism, mental health,\u00a0etc.\u00a0All of which are extremely important, but it can\u00a0seem\u00a0like\u00a0CYP are\u00a0being mined for\u00a0the negative aspects of their experiences.<\/p>\n

This was\u00a0a really interesting\u00a0observation.\u00a0The issue of the commodification of CYP – as part of the process of helping them – was alluded to by several interviewees, both charities and funders. We\u2019re hopeful that the co-produced funds centering CYP joy (mentioned in the report) will shine a light on how this problem can be addressed.<\/p>\n

Data\u00a0analysis<\/h3>\n

Data analysis\u00a0was conducted using Reflexive Thematic Analysis\u00a0(RFA). 60\u00a0initial\u00a0codes were generated and eventually rationalised under\u00a0six themes (which you can read in the report). An\u00a0RFA\u00a0approach encourages the researcher to\u00a0engage critically with the data and\u00a0reflect on their own responses,\u00a0emotions\u00a0and biases throughout\u00a0the research\u00a0process.\u00a0Which leads me to\u2026.<\/p>\n

Reflections on conducting this research<\/h3>\n

Speaking with charities and funders, writing up the research findings, and creating the report, I was conscious that\u00a0some\u00a0elements could\u00a0feel judgmental. Particularly: the gap between how we value fun for ourselves vs others, our connections between the words fun and frivolity, qualifying things as \u2018just fun\u2019, and the almost subconscious bias we have of \u2018beggars can\u2019t be choosers\u2019 when it comes to who is deserving of fun, and what that can look like.\u00a0 I think\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important to admit that\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0\u2018guilty\u2019 of having thought, said, felt or done these things. Some of\u00a0which I knew prior to starting this research, and\u00a0some of\u00a0which became\u00a0apparent\u00a0as I was conducting it and\u00a0reflecting on\u00a0my own responses to the data.<\/p>\n

For example, when talking with a charity who openly position themselves as\u00a0\u2018fun\u2019, they mentioned their work with domestic violence survivors and I caught myself thinking \u2018oh wow, they do so much more than just fun\u2019.\u00a0So,\u00a0I effectively dismissed the value of fun itself compared to a more \u2018serious topic, despite<\/em>\u00a0my long-held belief in its importance, and having incorporated it into my own (serious) work for decades.<\/p>\n

Despite<\/em>\u00a0having experienced \/ seen the benefits of fun from various perspectives (as a CYP being supported myself, leading CYP\u00a0programmes\u00a0for a charity, devising and managing CYP funds,\u00a0and\u00a0working on CYP policy (with a small p)).<\/p>\n

Despite<\/em>\u00a0actively educating myself on the value of fun and advocating for it to be taken seriously by others.<\/p>\n

Despite <\/em>ALL the above, this mental process still happened to me many\u00a0times throughout the research,\u00a0and on\u00a0reflection\u00a0many\u00a0times in the past. I highlight this to underline how\u00a0deeply\u00a0seated the problem of how we value fun is. There\u2019s no judgement intended. Just an intention to bring these issues to awareness so we can explore what to do with them.<\/p>\n

And finally\u2026<\/h3>\n

We hope you enjoy reading the report. If you do, please share with your networks, and anyone who could do with a little fun. I\u2019ll leave you with the words of our outstanding charity partner and of the RUMPUS leads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with The Open University helped us articulate something we\u2019ve always known instinctively that fun is fundamental to wellbeing and connection. This project validated our experiences and gave us language and evidence to champion fun as a serious and essential ingredient in creating positive change\u201d.<\/em> Eva Acs, Director, Fullscope<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAs Open University researchers we\u2019ve often had experience of funding application feedback that is nervous about fun. Working with Fullscope has been a fantastic opportunity, opening doors to understanding attitudes (but also fears) about fun and finding positive routes through. This report points us forward to more fun and creative collaborations\u201d. <\/em>Mimi Tatlow-Golden, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies of Childhood and Youth<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an increasingly serious world, fun often feels like a guilty pleasure. But what if it\u2019s actually essential? And why are people often afraid to talk about it? The essential nature of fun is something that OU RUMPUS researchers and Fullscope\u00a0charities have known for some time. Yet we\u2019ve both found that funders can be reluctant … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “When was the last time you had fun? genuine, tangible, belly-laughing fun?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1076"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1090,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076\/revisions\/1090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/rumpus\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}