(From the Foreword by series editors)
This literature review highlights why young learners should be listened to, and explains how to go about it to generate genuine dialogue and collaboration. It was originally published in 2007, by the Creative Partnerships team at Arts Council England. The programme and team have since been transferred to a new organisation, Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) and, the report is now being republished in the new CCE format.
In this second edition, Sara Bragg has taken the opportunity to update some of the details and references from the first edition including adding examples from her more recent research with the Open University into youth voice work in Creative Partnerships (Bragg, Manchester and Faulkner, 2009).
This review surveys the literature analysing how and why young people can or should be consulted. It is especially relevant to the broader ambitions of CCE because consulting young people and encouraging their participation is important to our work. We need to hear young people’s views about what we do, and we need to find ways to draw on their creativity and insights, to maintain our programmes’ dynamism and sustainability. However, this will not just happen – it needs to be thought about and structured carefully to ensure that we listen to a range of voices, not just the loudest, or those that fit our own existing agendas. The methods and methodologies for consulting with, and gathering the views of, young people are surveyed in this report. Its main message is that consulting young people is not a simple or straightforward process and that we need to consider carefully how best to learn about and interpret their views and opinions. We hope that the report will be useful for those interested in consulting young people. Above all, we believe this report highlights some of the reasons why young learners should be listened to, and explains how to go about it in a way that unleashes their creativity and generates genuine dialogue and collaboration
