Young voices, big ideas

The CGULL study’s public engagement programme 'Young voices, big ideas' aims to empower a diverse group of children, young people and their families in Liverpool, to foster community ownership of the CGULL study and to co-create future research priorities.

Funded by Wellcome, we aim to empower a diverse group of children and young people and their families in Liverpool, and foster community ownership of the CGULL cohort study through arts-based public engagement. We are doing this through the Young voices, big ideas ‘Pop-Up’, workshops in primary schools and books for young children, all co-designed with the young person’s advisory group and a team of adult public advisors.

The Young voices, big ideas ‘Pop-Up’ visits schools, fun days and community events around Liverpool. Local children and young people are asked to finish the sentence “My future could be happier and healthier if…” Children and young people can add their voices through audio recordings, digital messages and hand-written post-it notes.

We have run a series of 4-week workshops in primary schools and youth clubs across the Liverpool City Region since November 2023. These arts-based educational sessions are under an umbrella of ‘changes we want to see for our future’. Children participate in a different activity each week: using Lego to help communicate their ideas and build aspects of a healthy city; drawing what a happier and healthier Liverpool could look like; ‘making their own microbiome’ and engaging with the Young voices, big ideas ‘pop-up’.

We have co-designed two books on growing up in Liverpool for young children that will be donated to children’s centres, nurseries and libraries and available for sale.