About the project

The Youth Geographies of Inequality project explores the perspectives and experiences of people aged 16–25 years in two communities in North Yorkshire: a rural coastal area experiencing social and economic deprivation (Scarborough) and a more affluent (but with hidden inequalities) urban community (City of York).

This project run by the University of York aims to unpack how economic, social, cultural and environmental factors intersect with differing spatial contexts, and how these contexts shape families’ abilities to provide a varied range of support (financial, emotional and caring) to young people.

Integrating analysis of place-based inequalities with a more holistic perspective of the family will contribute to addressing research gaps and help with the development of local policies, especially those aimed at addressing widening health inequalities in North Yorkshire.

The research findings will have further reach in helping us advance our understanding of place-based inequalities more broadly.

What will the research contribute to

Young people are at the centre of how we design and conduct the research.

The project will produce a series of research evidence taking account of young people’s understanding, experiences and narratives of how they negotiate emotional support within their families and wider local web of relationships and context. Young people narratives will range from qualitative interviews and focus groups to participatory arts-based outputs. The arts-based participatory outputs include mapping activities, walking interviews/photo go-alongs, zine/film making workshops and other creative and crafting activities with young people. Head over to our storytelling page to see some of these participatory workshops in action.

The project has also recruited young people from youth-led organisations as co-researchers to help better understand intergenerational experiences and understandings of family support. This strand of the research will gather a range of perspectives from family members who support young people, including on young people’s emotional support, mental health, intergenerational family relationships/support, and York or Scarborough as places to live and raise families.

If you took part in the study, you will also be able to access your own part of the website to keep in touch and share information. This section of the website will also allow us to work together via a range of online methods to explore in more detail key questions from the research. If you are a young person who has taken part in the study, you can log in here.