Science Together 2024–2025
Science Together 2023–24 is underway! Find out more about the eight new community-led projects. Projects focus on mental health support, inclusivity, creative empowerment, and well-being. Initiatives include mental health training for first responders, transition tools for individuals with Down’s syndrome, dance leadership programmes for youth, feedback systems for refugee services, a student mental health podcast, research on affordable housing impacts, and evaluating music programmes for dementia care.
Launched in 2021, Science Together is a community-first engagement programme, coordinated by staff at the University of Oxford in partnership with Oxford Brookes University. It aims to harness the power of collaborations between university-based researchers and community organisations to overcome challenges and seize opportunities for people who live and work in Oxfordshire.
This year's programme kicked off in October with a project development workshop led by Wyn Griffiths (SMASHfestUK) at the Old Fire Station. Participants engaged in collaborative brainstorming and blue sky thinking to explore project ideas. Eight new project groups were formed with community partners from across Oxfordshire, involving researchers and public engagement facilitators from both universities. As part of the session, the project groups each came up with some wording around their project idea which you can read below.
Meet this year's community partners
What they do: Mental Health Support for Young People
Initial Research interest: Impact assessment of providing suicide prevention training to first responders (e.g. police, 111/999 call handlers and paramedics)
What they do: Charity run by families and volunteers offering support and activities for children and adults with Down’s syndrome and their families living in Oxfordshire.
Initial Research interest: Several possible ideas, including: developing tools to help with transition from early years to primary school; from school to work life. The benefits of singing (and signing) for improving communication skills.
What they do: Adult Learning and Sixth form college offering supportive learning environment and wellbeing support for learners from different backgrounds including asylum seekers, refugees, people in the care system and people for whom mainstream education hasn’t worked.
Initial Research interest: Developing a course of 6 weekly sessions with adult learners exploring the question “How do I, as a refugee/migrant create a sustainable life? What does sustainability mean for me?” with a focus on discussion, reinforcing and enhancing speaking and listening skills for discussion and expressing points of view.
What they do: Creative learning and outreach programmes with young people (5-25yrs) using dance and performance. Focus on shifting power and empowering excluded young voices. Developing skills, building confidence and supporting leadership opportunities.
Initial Research interest: Future Leaders programme – mentor and train Future Leaders to deliver dance sessions with Barton Park School – exploring the impacts on wellbeing for the Future Leaders and the participating students through a Social Sciences lens.
What they do: Work to relieve distress, improve well-being and facilitate the integration of refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants in Oxfordshire by providing psychological, social and practical support.
Initial Research interest: Want to develop systems/processes that allow clients to provide meaningful and honest feedback, with focus on reimagining their Refugee Advisory Group – want to apply best practices to managing and engaging this group, using a research-based, impactful and client-centred approach.
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School
What they do: Primary school for children aged 4-11 years in Bicester
Initial Research interest: Have installed a dedicated radio studio and want to develop a wellbeing and pupil mental health podcast/live show to support the growing need in local schools – they’d like to measure impact of this and understand how better to support pupils in this area and share this.
Oxford Community Land Trust (OCLT)
What they do: A grassroots Community Land Trust for all of Oxfordshire – they act as long-term steward of land and assets on it, ensuring it’s put to use in a way that benefits the local community. Current focus is on providing high-quality, sustainable, genuinely and permanently affordable housing, as well as green space for local communities to flourish.
Initial Research interest: Several possible ideas, including: “What difference has OCLT’s existing affordable housing made to its tenants?”- producing a rigorous piece of research that demonstrates impact in terms of health, wellbeing and economic stability. Possibly evaluating a future participatory housing project run by OCLT as it happens.
What they do: Sound Resource promotes music and singing for health and wellbeing. They run fun, inclusive, participatory sessions and accessible Moving Music concerts for people with dementia and memory problems and their families, friends and carers.
Initial Research interest: Impact assessment and evaluation of current work for funding applications and input on developing what they do for stronger impact.