Contribution:

A provocation and some reflections on citizen social science is an innovative form of coproduction and participatory research that engages citizens in conducting social research, and potentially flattens hierarchies as knowledge is made together.

Why would you like to speak in this workshop?:

I'd like to present the collaborative work with an innovative health partnership and pioneering charity, the Bromley by Bow Centre, and the ActEarly Co-production and Citizen Science theme within ActEarly UKPRP. ActEarly focuses on early life interventions to improve the health and opportunities of children living in two urban areas with high levels of child poverty: Bradford, West Yorkshire and Tower Hamlets, London. In particular this provocation focusses on the work of community and social researchers based at the Bromley by Bow Centre, alongside UCL researchers, to consult with more than 500 local families to identify “What makes the best start in life for children in Tower Hamlets?”. We worked with the local community to create a dream village with over 150 families, spreading tailored bunting through a local estate, filming and podcasting together, building monsters, islands and more to explore the research themes. Creative methods deepened conversations with residents, moving beyond surface level interactions to engage people’s imagination; included those who wouldn’t participate otherwise, in particular whole family groups; and built longer term relationships running through the research process. It is also important to remember that the findings were developed during a pandemic, and ultimately reflect both the unusual context of this research and the timeless role parents play in raising happy and healthy children. As a result, the team’s reflective practice and learning cycles also took on extra importance.