A new centre established at the University of York will support the work of the renowned Born in Bradford research programme, which seeks to understand what keeps families happy and healthy. Mag North attended the launch of this vital new research centre, which will bring together disciplines of academics and researchers across the region to transform the lives of people growing up here.
The Born in Bradford Centre for Social Change will build on the University of York and Born in Bradford’s partnership by focusing on creating opportunities for children and young people to collaborate in research projects, as well as using research to inform policy to improve health and wellbeing.
The internationally-recognised programme has been tracking the lives of over 40,000 Bradfordians for the past 17 years, and has helped to uncover the harm of air pollution, the impact of people’s diet and exercise, how the urban environment affects health, and the early causes of diabetes and heart disease.
Crucially, the interdisciplinary approach of the research means academics will be well placed to develop meaningful insights and share learning for social benefit, both in the UK and also as citizens of the world.
Most recently, a new seven-year project called The Age of Wonder was launched to extend the work of Born in Bradford, focused on the journeys of 30,000 Bradford schoolchildren from adolescence to adulthood.
This ambitious project is evidence of the untapped potential of different academic disciplines working together across faculties to develop new insights. The latest participatory research techniques will ensure the insights come from community groups local to West Yorkshire - reflecting an authentic perspective of life in Bradford in 2025.
The new centre will be further supported by the York Policy Engine, which brings researchers and policymakers together to use research evidence to drive changes in policy and practice.
Professor Kate Pickett, Director for the Born in Bradford Centre for Social Change, said:
“The new Centre is an exciting opportunity to bring researchers, families, young people and children together with decision-makers to bring about real and meaningful changes to health and wellbeing."
“The Born in Bradford programme has shown that 90% of children aged between seven and ten in Bradford are exposed to issues affecting their wellbeing such as bullying, a lack of three meals a day, no internet access at home and constant worrying about money."
"The Born in Bradford Centre for Social Change is particularly exciting for the north because it brings together people with very distinct disciplines across medicine, social science and even computer science to develop a nuanced understanding of life in 2025. It is the first centre of its kind and has deep connections to the founders of the University of York who endowed the University with a strong social purpose, drawing on a rich tradition of social justice and combating inequality in a way that is distinctive to York."
Professor Pickett explained the potential of this northern research could shape national policy. She added:
“It is this kind of evidence we want to bring to the attention of policymakers, which adds to the broader picture of what it is like to be a young person in a fast-changing economic society, with social and environmental challenges.”
