1. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures
  2. School of Media and Communication
  3. Working in partnership
  4. Working with communities

Working with communities

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Researchers at the School work closely with diverse communities, engaging the public to be active participants in research and exploring how media and digital technologies can support inclusion, participation and collective action. By contributing their experiences and knowledge, community members can help shape research that matters to them, share their stories and explore new ways of preserving and documenting their cultural heritage. Our partnerships have helped to shape collective action, foster digital literacy, and increase engagement in media and culture for everyone regardless of background. 

To enquire how you or your organisation could work with us, get in touch with the School or feel free to explore our wider research themes and projects. 

Examples of our work with communities include: 

INCLUDE+ 

The INCLUDE+ project, led by Professor Helen Thornham, aims to address the inequalities involved in and surrounding digital society. It supports participants around the world to gain confidence digitally and informs how social and digital environments can be built to ensure accessibility for all. 

Developing Confidence in Community Journalism 

Led by Layla Painter, this project empowers diverse voices and strengthens local journalism. Working in partnership with Bradford’s community radio station, BCB, students learnt vital skills in broadcasting political stories and working within local communities. BCB gained a new understanding of how to improve their local democracy reporting for audiences.  

Faces and Threads art exhibition 

Co-created by Dr Lone Sorensen, with artist Parham Ghalamdar and local people in Machester and Leeds, Faces and Threads aimed to capture the emotions and experiences of marginalised communities engaging with online climate controversies. Dr Sorensen held creative workshops with two grassroots spaces: Longsight Art Space in Manchester and Basement Arts Project in Leeds, where participants created a layered collective artwork exploring climate change debates online and misinformation about global warming.  

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