Science Together

African Families in the UK

African Families in the UK (AFiUK) is a social enterprise supporting families from African and other ethnic-minority backgrounds to explore opportunities available to them in their local areas.

Originally founded in 2015, it has centres in both Oxford and Colchester and a network around the UK.

AFiUK provides information and advice on education, health and social care, as well as parenting support and activities to enrich family life.

The group runs sessions for children and teenagers around a variety of different educational and sporting interests.

EMBS Community College

EMBS College, Oxfordshire supports the education and wellbeing of students who are recent migrants, unaccompanied refugees, and people for whom mainstream education has not been appropriate.

The College provides a range of programmes for young people and adults, across Oxford and Banbury, including: sixth-form education; youth club activities; adult learning courses in English, Maths and IT; Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses; job coaching; careers advice; and employability mentoring.

Group project: EMBS Urban Nature Garden

The links between access to green spaces and mental health benefits are now widely accepted and backed up by a range of research.

Published in 2020 by Student Minds, the University Mental Health Charter Framework offers advice for colleges and universities on adopting an institution-wide approach to supporting mental health including helping students to connect more with nature. 

Inspired by this advice, EMBS College collaborated with Science Together researchers to explore the interaction between nature, learning and wellbeing, by involving staff and students in renovating an overgrown garden into a large vegetable patch.

Oxford Community Action

Oxford Community Action (OCA) is a non-profit organisation people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to overcome structural inequalities, particularly in areas such as employment and health.

This organisation operates a social enterprise called the OCA Kitchen, at Flo's Café in Florence Park, east Oxford. 

Proceeds from sales in the café fund the OCA's wider work in the community, including: children's activities to help address financial and cultural barriers, food distribution to hundreds of families each week, initiatives to combat health inequalities, community research, and upskilling opportunities to support employability.

Oxford United in the Community

Oxford United in the Community (OUitC) is a charity that uses the power of football to inspire people and communities across Oxfordshire to have positive aspirations for their future, and the health, wellbeing, self-confidence, opportunities, and resources to achieve them.

OUitC’s new strategy, Oxfordshire – A Community United, is based on its ambition to achieve a greater level of positive community impact and to operate across as much of Oxfordshire as possible.

The Manor Club is a monthly OUitC initiative, where Oxford United FC supporters aged 50 and over get together in Cowley, in the south of Oxford, to hear from a guest speaker from the world of football and share stories and memories through an interactive Q&A.

Group project: The Manor Club Connected

Through Science Together, OUitC is expanding the reach of its Manor Club initiative across Oxfordshire, as 'The Manor Club Connected'. It is working with university researchers to explore how issues such as loneliness and social isolation can be addressed by harnessing shared interests within a community.

This work coincides with the release of Government data revealing that nearly one-quarter of adults in Oxfordshire have experienced feelings of loneliness in the last year.

Originally founded in 1946, the Barton Community Association works with community members of all ages from Barton in east Oxford. 

The Association provides a variety of opportunities for young people in Barton which are not only fun and entertaining, but that they might not be able to access elsewhere.

Working with researchers from the city's universities, the Barton 'coLAB-oration' developed a new narrative-driven approach to a science programme for young people in Barton.

Group project: Surviving a Volcanic Winter in Barton

This group created a disaster-themed immersive experience, to bring together local people around an imaginary disaster scenario.

'A volcano has suddenly started emitting huge clouds of ash that are blocking light from the sun across the globe. Barton, on the eastern edge of Oxford, is getting cold! How will you face the coming volcanic winter?'

Inspired by the methods of SMASHfestUK, elements of science were woven into the narrative as the group worked through a series of challenges from the disaster scenario.

Oxfordshire Play Association (OPA) was interested in partnering with researchers to help make a case for why play is important for the health and wellbeing of children, young people, their families and the wider community within Oxfordshire. Since 2008 and the onset of austerity and public sector cuts, funding for play in Oxfordshire has seen a significant fall, as it has not been named a priority for dwindling Council budgets.

OPA wanted to gather evidence through a literature review, to make the case for the importance of play in Oxfordshire and explore its value from a health and wellbeing perspective, not only for children and young people, but more widely across the community. The charity's aim was to produce a report and flyer that could be circulated to local stakeholders and, in particular, local councils to make the case for increasing funding for play throughout the county.

Group project: Protecting the Right to Play

The importance of sport in the school curriculum and out-of-school clubs is well understood.

By comparison, free form play is less well researched and funded, and multiple issues including perceptions around safety, cleanliness and structure mean that children today often have limited scope to explore and play outside under their own direction.

This group produced a research and evidence document called ‘Why Play Matters in Oxfordshire’ for local decision-makers, highlighting the importance of play for the physical and mental wellbeing of children and young people.