Latest Projects

CiviAct is a coalition of community-led organisations set up to respond to the enduring social, economic and justice inequalities experienced by minoritised children and young people. Our collective experiences of the harms of inequality highlight the urgency for radically different and transformative approaches undertaken by organisations accountable to communities, on their own terms. We recognise the talent, creativity and strengths of young people and their capacity to define the future. Together we convene spaces that support young people to transcend obstacles, resist injustice and challenge the status quo. CiviAct represents our collaborative efforts to uphold our duty to defend the civil rights of our communities and to promote opportunity and justice for all those within them (CiviAct Statement of Intent, 2021)

Our Aims

• Empower and support young people to become future leaders in community-led civic action
• Enhance the representation of excluded and minoritized groups within local and regional decision making
• Understand and support youth and community-led responses to the wide ranging impacts of Covid-19, particularly for those disproportionality effected
• Develop the sustainability and infrastructure of youth and community-led organisations
• Reimagine and create new and transferable models of community-led university partnership

“The project helps to support young people to transcend obstacles, resist injustice and challenge the status quo.”

 The SY REN programme is also known as Working Together in Research. Nationally people refer to REN programmes also as REND (Research Engagement Network and Development) programmes.  The Working Together in Research project started in October 2023. The group received funding from the research team at NHS England to develop better working practises between researchers and local community groups to address embedded health inequalities and services.

Managed by the South Yorkshire Innovation Hub, Diversecity Development Trust , South Yorkshire ICB and South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation.

The Project:

People in South Yorkshire are living shorter lives and in poorer health for longer than they should. Research is key to understanding how to narrow these inequalities – but to do so, health and care research needs to understand the experience of those that are under served and include those that have historically been underrepresented.

We will develop a South Yorkshire research approach to address systemic barriers to representative inclusion in health and care research. We will do this through:

1. Building a shared understanding of the barriers faced by underrepresented communities, and how to put community needs at the heart of research
2. Understanding and addressing the barriers to designing and delivering inclusive research from the perspective of academic and clinical researchers
3. Building a cross-sector collaboration of partners and co-designing South Yorkshire Inclusive Research Principles
4. Celebrating and sharing lessons learnt to support future sustainability

Build a nuanced understanding of the barriers underrepresented communities face to participating in research, and the barriers researchers face to designing and delivering inclusive research

Share knowledge and amplify great practice and approaches to inclusive, collaborative research

Develop South Yorkshire Inclusive Research Principles to ensure research is inclusive that the community, VCSE, and researchers support

Strengthen relationships across South Yorkshire’s VCSE and research partners

“DiverseCity Development Trust has been co-delivery partner from the start of these programme in September 2023.”