A celebration has been held to recognise seven community-led research collaborations formed over the last ten months through a university programme.
Seven community groups have partnered with institutions like University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University to develop projects focusing on local needs and interests as part of the Science Together programme.
These collaborations range from initiatives like Ark-T, assessing community wellbeing interventions, to Good Food Oxfordshire, designing solutions for healthier diets, and In-spire Sounds and MES Creations, exploring the impact of youth music and mentoring, and delivering graffiti workshops to gauge attitudes towards community, anti-social behaviour, wellbeing and perceptions around graffiti , respectively.
Elsewhere, Oxford Lindy Hoppers investigated physical and mental wellbeing benefits of dance and Parasol Project and Slade Nursery School supported social resilience and communication skills development in their communities.
Professor Alexander Betts, local and global engagement officer at the University of Oxford, said: "It was an inspiring day, bringing together an amazing group of community partners and researchers, all working together to deliver positive social impact.
"Science Together exemplifies the university's ambitions to support community-led research and to create opportunities for young people in our local community."
Though most collaborations continue into the next academic year, Science Together's Summer Celebration gave a chance for participants to learn about each other's research.
Many from earlier years of the programme returned to catch up on new projects and learn about opportunities for the upcoming 2024/25 cohort.
Launched in 2021, Science Together serves as a community-first engagement programme, conceived by University of Oxford staff and Oxford Brookes University.
Its goal is to use cross-sector collaborations to tackle challenges and seize opportunities for Oxfordshire residents.
Stu Mason from MES Creations said: "It's been an absolute delight to play a part in the Science Together programme this year.
"Being gifted the time, space and ability to work with researchers and facilitators to explore and substantiate the work that we do has been an incredible opportunity.
"To develop the creative opportunities for those involved in our graffiti club and to inspire the young people who take part, while building the foundations for long-term creative practice – that's of incalculable value to an emerging CIC like MES – outcomes that for us add up to significantly more than the sum of the parts."
Leandros Tsiotos, Oxford Population Health and project facilitator with the Parasol Project group, added: "Being part of the Science Together programme made me realise how important it is to connect and collaborate with young people and local communities who are on our doorstep."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here