The Challenge

Whilst working with the London Borough of Islington, we identified a critical gap in our understanding of youth services. Despite having excellent programmes, we lacked insight into what young people really needed and how they experienced our services. With a £100,000 research budget, we set out to revolutionise our approach to youth engagement.

Community members participating in the survey

Meeting residents where they are: conducting surveys at local events.

The Solution

We developed a comprehensive research programme that prioritised young people's voices:

Meeting People Where They Are

Instead of expecting residents to come to us, we went to them. We set up at community events, local markets, and neighborhood centers. We created surveys in multiple languages and worked with community leaders to reach groups we'd struggled to hear from before. Most importantly, we made it clear that we weren't just collecting data – we were listening to build better services.

Planning and tracking our community outreach efforts.

Turning Feedback into Action

We didn't want this to be just another survey that gathered dust. Using data analysis tools, we transformed thousands of responses into clear insights about what different communities needed. We created visual reports that made it easy for decision-makers to understand where services were working well and where they needed improvement.

Turning community feedback into actionable insights.

The Impact

The results transformed how Islington Council works with its communities:

We redirected £100K to services that residents said they needed most
Community participation in council initiatives increased by 40%
We launched 15 new programs based directly on community feedback
Resident satisfaction with council services significantly improved

What I Learnt

This project transformed my understanding of community research. I learnt that meaningful insights come from creating spaces where people feel truly heard. The skills I developed in managing large-scale research, analysing complex data, and translating findings into actionable recommendations have become central to my approach to problem-solving.

Key Skills Used

Project management and stakeholder coordination
Data analysis and visualization (Python, Power BI)
Community engagement and facilitation
Strategic planning and resource allocation
Cross-cultural communication