Young people’s voices were central to our recent place strategy research with Middlesbrough Council. Through engagement across the area, we captured valuable insights to inform the work.
Aim
Middlesbrough Council commissioned MMC Research to support the development of its place strategy by ensuring the voices of young people and their parents were meaningfully represented. The overall aim of the market research was to understand how young people experience Middlesbrough as a place to live, study, work and spend time, while exploring their aspirations for the town’s future. We needed to understand what they feel is missing, and what would make Middlesbrough a more attractive, inclusive and ambitious place for the next generation.
Work
MMC Research designed a mixed-method research approach to capture both breadth and depth of insight. This included a young people’s survey distributed through schools, colleges, youth settings and community networks, alongside wider resident engagement to provide context and comparison and to include the voice of parents. Qualitative insight was gathered through focus groups and workshops with young people from a range of backgrounds, including those whose voices are less often heard in formal consultation such as those not in education, training or employment. Our bespoke topic guide explored perceptions of safety, green spaces, third spaces, festivals and events, role models, mentors, pride, opportunity and the influence young people have on wider family perceptions of place.
Output and taking it forward
The research provided Middlesbrough Council with a clear, evidence-led understanding of how young people view the town today and what needs to change to strengthen their connection with it in the future. We provided depth reports as well as a top level executive summary which formed the basis of a workshop with the council’s executive team and the wider Town Board.
We didn’t just provide the evidence. We also provided recommendations to workshop with a wider team and will continue to support the team moving forwards.
The findings are now helping to inform Middlesbrough’s place strategy, ensuring it is shaped not only by economic and physical regeneration priorities, but by the lived experience, ambition and expectations of young people themselves.
“We recently partnered with MMC Research to inform Middlesbrough Council’s Place Strategy project, and they delivered an exceptional piece of work. The reports they produced are exactly what we needed, providing a wealth of rich insight that will genuinely make a difference for young people in Middlesbrough.
What really stood out was their qualitative research. By including direct quotes from the 1300 residents we engaged with, MMC Research perfectly captured the lived experiences of young people, which brought the core themes to life and made them stand out with incredible clarity.
It was great to see the positive feedback regarding our town being a welcoming place, but equally valuable was their honest assessment of what we need to work on. Their strategic recommendations are practical, well-thought-out, and will be incredibly helpful in shaping our next steps and future initiatives at Middlesbrough Council.
The whole team was fantastic to work with, combining high-quality research with a highly collaborative approach. We highly recommend their services.”
Michelle Eaves | Freelance Place Officer