Empowering young people through embedded research
This week’s Lunch and Learn session welcomed Dave Hembrough, researcher in the School and Sport and Physical Activity, AWRC co-locator, and embedded researcher with Darnall Well Being, for a thought-provoking conversation about the power of community and youth voice.
Drawing on a career that began in sport and performance and evolved into community engagement, Dave shared insights from his work with our long-time collaborator Darnall Well Being (DWB). As an embedded researcher, Dave is employed by Sheffield Hallam University and spends a significant amount of his time on the ground with DWB, co-designing collaborative research agendas for mutual benefit.
A large part of Dave’s work involves working with young people in Darnall, one of Sheffield’s most underserved areas. Dave spoke about the challenges of intergenerational poverty, the social determinants of health (and how these apply to and impact young people), and the importance of creating space for young people to be heard.
He discussed one of the most recent outputs the embedded researcher programme, the Darnall Youth Action Plan – co-produced with local residents, young people and organisations – which is about to enter its implementation phase. We learned that despite lower-than-average statistics on education and employment, neighbourhood satisfaction in Darnall matches the national average. Dave said that this speaks volumes about the resilience and potential of the area.
We finished the session with a lively Q&A about the impacts (and challenges) of embedded community work, how existing projects might be expanded and future possibilities.
Thank you, Dave, for a brilliant session on a powerful example of what can happen when academia, community and policy come together.